Can you ride a Segway on the road?
No, you can’t ride a Segway on the road in the UK. That’s the simple answer.
With the rise in popularity of personal transporters like Segways, the Department for Transport published guidelines in December 2015 to cover all powered transporters. In this DfT Powered Transporters document, it clearly states that devices such as Segways, Hoverboards, GoPeds and so on, are classed as motor vehicles in the United Kingdom and therefore the appropriate law applies.
Can you ride Segways on the pavement in the UK then?
No! Just like cars, bicycles and mopeds, personal powered transporters like Segways cannot be ridden on the pavement either. There was even a test case in 2011. Philip Coates was prosecuted in 2011 for riding his Segway on the pavement and he tried to challenge the definition of ‘motor vehicle’ in court. But the judge concluded: “I am satisfied to the requirement standard that the Segway is a motor vehicle” and so Coates glided off with a £75 fine, and £265 costs.
So where can you ride Segways in the UK?
Well, you can ride Segways on private land. And before you say it, supermarket car parks and the like don’t count, as you need the permission from the land owner. So unless you’ve got a big private estate or a huge garden, you might struggle when it comes to riding your Segway in the UK.
The best place to ride a Segway in the UK is off-road using a rugged X2 Segway!
But I’ve seen Segway tours advertised all over the UK?
Yes. This is because official Segway tour operators have the permission from land owners. That’s why you can Segway around somewhere like Leeds Castle in Kent, or even Alexander Palace in London, but these are organised tours. If you want to try Segway riding in the UK, we advise you to book yourself on a tour.
What about riding Segways in other countries?
The European Commission expressed the opinion in 2002 that Segways and the like were not classed as motor vehicles and as such could be ridden on the public highway. However, each country is entitled to its own road traffic laws that include legislation on Segways and other powered personal transporters.
For example, in France Segways are not classed as motor vehicles, so you can ride them on the pavements and in pedestrian areas. But pedestrians have priority and you cannot go over 6km/h. As for whether you can ride your Segway on designated cycle paths in France, it’s a grey area, with some places tolerating it.
In Italy, they go one step further. As well as the right to ride a Segway at no more than 6km/h on footpaths and in pedestrian zones, you can whizz along at up to 20km/h along cycle paths too.
But one of the most liberal countries in Europe when it comes to Segways has to be Austria. There they are classed as cycles, so you are allowed to ride on the roads, unless there is a dedicated cycle lane, which you should use instead.
In Holland you can ride on the cycle ways too, but there are a fair few rules to follow. Namely, you can’t ride Segways side by side, you need to have a bell on your Segway, lights, reflective strips, a license plate and be fully insured. It’s a similar story in Germany, with Segway riders needing insurance, a licence plate and the minimum of a moped licence to take your Segway for a spin on the roads.
In Spain it’s getting complicated. Their Dirección General de Tráfico (DGT) clarified the law in 2016 to state that mobility scooters and Segways should not be used on pavements, but stated it was acceptable to use them on cycle paths. Having said that, each municipality has the power to pass their own laws on the matter. In August 2017 Barcelona banned Segways from the Old City and the seafront areas due to overcrowding.
Barcelona has banned Segways from the Old City and the beachfront
So as you can see, it’s pretty complicated when it comes to where you can ride your Segway in which country. And now you know Segways can’t be ridden on the pavements or the roads in the UK, you’re better off booking yourself onto an organised Segway experience on private land!
Caroline F
October 17, 2017
Who said that the only way to enjoy an adrenaline packed day was to jump out of a plane and soar the skies? Forget all that! Indoor skydiving offers you the same thrilling, hear-stopping free fall feeling than you would get with normal skydiving, without having to get on a plane! But what is indoor skydiving and how does it work exactly? IntoTheBlue is right on it!
What is indoor skydiving?
Before we jump straight into the how– no pun intended – we have to take a look at what indoor skydiving is exactly. Although they share the “skydiving” part on their names, both activities couldn’t be more different from each other. Indoor skydiving uses something called “vertical wind tunnel” that creates a really strong wind flow, similar to what you´d experience doing a normal skydiving free fall, without having to jump out of an airplane.
One of the main advantages of indoor skydiving is that you can practice it whenever you want, whereas normal skydiving is subject to seasonal weather, such as extreme winds, rains or snow. No more worrying about weather ruining your plans!
But how does a wind tunnel work?
As some of you might have guessed already, wind tunnels work by pushing air from the bottom to the top, allowing you to lift yourself up in the air. Without getting too technical, a vertical wind tunnel uses a few fans at the top of the ceiling that extracts the air from the flight chamber, pushes it back down the sides through massive, rectangular tubes into the bottom floor and then the air goes back up again through the flight chamber. In other words, it’s a constant, moving air cycle.
How long is a flight in a wind tunnel?
Without taking into account the people who practice indoor skydiving as a professional sport, most indoor skydiving experiences last around one hour and offers you around 1-2 minutes of flight time, with the chance to extend it for a few minutes longer. In addition, if you want to make things a bit funnier and a bit more wild, you can ask your family or friends to come into the flight chamber with you, so you all enjoy some us-fly-time together!
Vertical wind tunnels recreate similar conditions of a true freefall experience.
Is indoor skydiving expensive?
In general terms, a solo indoor skydiving session with 1-2 minutes flight time would cost around £50, with the price going up to £70-80 if you decide to extend it for a couple more minutes. On the other hand, a session for two costs around £80 and a family voucher (5 people maximum) goes up to £180.
Compared to normal skydiving that can go up to £200-250 per jump, indoor skydiving is the perfect choice for those of you who want to enjoy a similar thrilling experience without putting a strain on your wallet.
Indoor skydiving allows teams to compete against each other in the wind tunnels.
Is indoor skydiving considered a sport?
Yes, indoor skydiving is actually practice as a sport! Its technical name is bodyflight and it’s one of the fastest growing sports nowadays. Bodyflight also allows both solo and team competitions, so you can choose whichever suits you better! If you’re looking to become a professional bodyflight athlete the best option would be to join an already established club, that can offer you both all the knowledge and training that you need. You can also check the International Bodyflight Association (IBA) for some extra information and tips!
And there you have it, folks! Now you have the perfect opportunity to chant the famous “Look, mum, no hands!” while you enjoy the greatest indoor skydiving experience of your life!
Eider Gomez
October 13, 2017
So just what is green curry, red curry or even yellow curry?
If you’ve ever asked yourself what is green curry, or red curry…or even yellow curry, we’ve got all the answers to your Thai curry colour questions right here in one easy guide.
And in essence, what makes a curry red, green or yellow, is the colour of the chillies that you use to make your Thai curry paste.
In traditional Thai cuisine the basic Thai curry paste recipe is the same for all curries, no matter what the colour:
- Chillies*
- Ginger
- Garlic
- Coriander
- Lemongrass
- Lime
- Kiffir lime leaves
- Galangal
- Coriander seeds
- Cumin
- Thai fish sauce
- Black peppercorns
- Olive oil
*The chillies – red for red Thai curry, green for green Thai curry and yellow for yellow Thai curry
In true Thai curries there wouldn’t have been any coriander, but it’s pretty much the norm nowadays, so we’ve included it on our ingredients list for your curry paste. There’s also a trend for adding tumeric to Thai yellow curries to make the colour more vibrant.
If you’re not familiar with galangal, it’s a member of the ginger family and looks like a knobbly Jerusalem artichoke.
What is green curry compared to red curry? It al depends on the colour of the chillies used – and this one’s red!
So now you know what green curry is (and red and yellow for that matter!), you’ve probably got some more questions about how hot your Thai curry will be…
What is it that makes a green curry hot?
The use of fresh green chilli peppers, that’s what! The science bit of it is that a chilli contains capsaicin and this gives the chilli its heat.
Which are hotter, red or green chillies?
Nowadays red is generally thought of as hotter for pure heat, green chillies are hot with a sweet taste and yellow the mildest.
BUT ask everyone from chefs to curry fans whether they think red or green is hotter and you’ll get both answers. In reality, it depends on the variety of chilli. It’s generally agreed the smaller the chilli, the hotter it is, so that can be green or red. And it’ll be hotter the riper it is too!
What makes a hotter curry – red or green chillies?
Which are the hottest chillies out there?
The Caribbean/Scotch bonnet is a small round fiery red little number that’ll blow your socks off, whilst the elegant, finger-like Thai bird’s eye is at its hottest when red and therefore fully mature. If you love your fiery flavours this is what will make our red curry super hot!
How do you make a Thai curry dish less hot?
If you cut the chilli lengthways and scrape out the chilli seeds and some of the membrane, your curry will be less hot.
But if the dish you’re eating is too hot, what do you do?
Capsaicin is oil-based, so drinking water will literally add fuel to the fire! You need to drink something diary based to break down the capsaicin like milk or a lassi
This ‘what is green curry’ blog piece was bought to you with the help of happy clients who have been on IntotheBlue’s Thai curry cooking course at The Avenue Cookery School in south-west London.
Whether it’s a green curry, a red one or a yellow one, the key to Thai food is using fresh ingredients – including chillies!
Caroline F
October 10, 2017
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