Beijing bans E-scooters and segways on roads


A photo shows two young men are riding segways at night in Beijing. [qq.com]

Electric scooters and segways have been banned from Beijing's roads as of Monday.

The Beijing traffic management bureau says those breaking the rule will be fined 10 yuan (1.5 USD) and given a verbal warning not to use their vehicle on public roads again.

There are huge numbers of electric scooters and segways in big Chinese cities such as Beijing and Shanghai. They are a popular means of coping with heavy traffic. But users are told not to use them on the same roads as faster traffic as it's illegal and dangerous.

Over the weekend, Beijing's Consumers' Association published research showing that 19 out of 20 electric scooters and segways couldn't brake easily. 16 out 20 of those tested could exceed the speed limit of 20km/h, the advisory speed for scooters and segway-type products in China.

Last week, the traffic authority in Shanghai launched a campaign to get electric scooters off the city's roads. In the space of just half and hour, traffic police in the Huangpu District of Shanghai caught three riders breaking the rules.

According to Shanghai police, sub-standard scooters and segways are dangerous to other traffic, especially at night, as they do not have lights, and cannot brake easily when traveling at a high speed.

In 2015 a driver of an electric scooter was sent to prison and fined 650,000 yuan (97,500 USD) after fatally injuring a man in Shanghai when he failed to brake in time.

Source: http://www.reuters.com/places/china