A shock army of Segway-borne campaigners will tomorrow make the five-minute trip from the Houses of Parliament to the Department of Transport in an attempt to convince the government that the scooters represent the future of transport.

Earl Attlee, Earl Liverpool, and MPs Stephen Pound and Lembit Opik will be among those illegally taking to the streets to "demand the launch of an investigation into whether the Segway could play a key role in unblocking Britain's gridlocked main roads", as the Telegraph puts it.

The Department of Transport has previously expressed safety concerns about the Segway's braking capabilities and its lack of lights. Accordingly, it's illegal to pilot the wheeled deelie on anything other than private property.

While the Lib Dems and the Tories have already asked that Segways be allowed to glide along Blighty's cycle paths, the Department of Transport says "its objections have not yet been addressed, but that it is in discussions with the manufacturers about introducing safety measures".

Stephen Pound has apparently already taken the fight to parliament, whizzing around the atrium of Westminster's Portcullis House "to the alarm of fellow MPs".

He said: "I wanted to show they are so easy to drive that even an MP can do it. You just lean forward to speed up and back to slow down. It is a bit counter-intuitive at first, but anyone can soon get the hang of it." ®

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