China bans hoverboards from roads and bike lanes

GIF credit: Omicrono.

Hoverboards, the world’s most spontaneously combustible form of transport, are in trouble once again – this time in China.

The nation’s two biggest cities, Beijing and Shanghai, just issued updated road traffic laws that ban hoverboards and Segways from roads and bike lanes, reports state news agency Xinhua today.

So hoverboarders are now confined to bumpy sidewalks.

Authorities in Shanghai will slap hoverboarders with a US$7.50 fine for riding on the road. There’s a US$3 fine for coasting in the bike lane, where only push-bikes and electric bikes can go. In Beijing, the blanket penalty is only US$1.50.

This leaves hoverboarders confined to sidewalks, which are often rather bumpy due to broken slabs or because of things like tactile paving meant to guide partially-sighted people. Expect a rise in faceplant videos.

Navigating the sidewalks of a major Chinese city on a Xiaomi Ninebot hoverboard. GIF by Tech in Asia. From video by GeekBuying.

The self-balancing boards are increasingly popular in China. Xiaomi, one of the country’s top phone makers, sells a hoverboard of its own for US$300.

The move is also aimed at keeping electric scooters out of car lanes, where they often hold up traffic flow and cause accidents. The affordable e-bikes are a popular transport option in China, all but replacing bicycles, with millions sold each year. Scooter rides don’t need to pass a proficiency test and the two-wheelers are not subject to any safety inspections.

Converted from Chinese yuan. Rate: US$1 = RMB 6.68.