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Your cool new ‘hoverboard’ isn’t street legal in London

Police are cracking down and getting the word out on the illegal boards.

 

Rae Votta

IRL

Posted on Oct 12, 2015   Updated on May 27, 2021, 7:58 pm CDT

If you want to hyperwalk down the London sidewalk, expect a ticket.

Hands-free hoverboards of all varieties are explicitly forbidden on public roadways and sidewalks in London, according to a tweet by Metro Police. 

The tweet links to the Segway guidance section of their FAQ, which explains that any self-balancing scooters must be “approved via ECWVTA or MSVA in order to be licensed and registered” to be street legal. 

They are also illegal on sidewalks because they qualify as vehicles. The only place hoverboards are explicitly legal in London is on private property, and with the property owner’s permission.

Hoverboards have caused controversy in the United States as well, especially at airports. This summer, rapper Wiz Khalifa was detained by customs agents for riding his board in the Los Angeles airport.

H/T Jezebel | Screengrab via Hyper Walk/YouTube

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*First Published: Oct 12, 2015, 2:35 pm CDT