AN EXOTIC new species is to be let loose in the Phoenix Park — a fleet of two-wheeled electric vehicles known as Segways.

Pat Liddy, a historian and author, has won a contract from the Office of Public Works to run Segway tours of the city park. Liddy, who already operates walking tours around historic Dublin landmarks, will begin “bespoke tours” of the park on the vehicles in the coming weeks, with regular tours beginning next March.

Legislation regarding the use of the eco-friendly devices on public roads in Ireland has yet to be formalised, so Liddy plans to use the park’s cycleways.

“Segways are environmentally friendly, silent and very sturdy, so we will also be able to take them off-road to see all the sites, without disturbing the wildlife,” he said. “Eventually, we hope to run tours of other areas, including the docklands and historic sites in Kilmainham, although a lot depends on the Department of Transport adopting a sensible policy towards the vehicles’ use.”

Segway Ireland, the machine’s distributor, recently made a 64-page submission to the department in an attempt to establish the legality of using them on cycle lanes, footpaths and public roads. Martin Butler, a company representative, said: “We have sold about 70 in Ireland since launching, but so far they’ve been mostly bought by businesses, particularly security companies, for use on private property.

“They’re currently being used in shopping centres and large industrial complexes for patrols, but we hope that they will eventually be embraced by commuters.”

Although it is legal to use Segways on public roads in several European countries, including Holland and Switzerland, the vehicles can only be used on private property in Britain.

Airport police in Dublin are trialling the technology, and gardai are believed to be considering the vehicles for anti-riot and crowd-control situations. Security staff at Mahon Point shopping centre in Cork are already using the devices.

When the technology was originally unveiled in 2001, Steve Jobs, chairman of Apple, said it would be “as big a deal as the PC”. It was predicted that the device would ultimately make the car obsolete in city centres, but so far it has proven most popular with security staff, postmen and police.

George Lee, the RTE economics editor, is a recent convert to the gadgets, which sell for €6,000 each in Ireland. He now commutes to work “once or twice a week”, from Cabinteely to Montrose, using a combination of cycle lanes and footpaths. “I use it as a replacement for the car. I get some strange looks but, overall, people are fascinated by it,” Lee said.

The vehicle’s top-speed is 20kph and it can travel for 38km on an electricity charge that costs just 15c. The engine of the device starts when its driver leans forward, and an internal gyroscope helps users keep their balance. The effect is like skiing, Lee said.

Liddy, who first saw the technology being employed by airport police in Chicago, said it only takes about 30 minutes to become a competent user.

“We’re hoping to attract locals, tourists and the Segway community, groups of people who travel around the world taking city tours on the vehicles,” he said.

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