If you visited Budapest already, you must have seen groups of tourists in the city centre, enjoying sightseeing on Segways. Maybe you have also tried it. ;) If not, well, you might have missed the chance for that, because authorities in Budapest are to ban Segways in the city centre’s pedestrian zones.

The ban takes effect from the middle of June and also covers electric bikes, rickshaws and as far as we know, hoverboards and the popular beer-bikes, as well. With these steps, Budapest follows some other European cities like Prage, where the use of Segways has been banned already.

Segway tour operators argue that the devices offer tourists a great sight-seeing experience. They say they pay taxes and create jobs, but critics say there are too many and that they can mean a danger to pedestrians. Why? Because these devices are quiet and very fast, so people walking on the streets can’t hear them approaching.

The other problem is that the majority of tourists use Segways for the first time in their lives. We agree that it’s really easy to learn how to roll with it on the pavement but in an unexpected situation, the lack of experience can be problematic.