As I have blogged elsewhere, the Segway — both in its present form, and in the new, improved version — deserves a more benign reception in the UK.

I have seen them operating in the US and elsewhere: they seem to be quite complementary to other traffic, though they are (I gather) total buggers in the wet. As you say, they can be used for policing and similar activity. They are at least as acceptable in pedestrian areas as, say, luggage trolleys at King’s Cross or less-abled conveyances at airports.

I saw Segways on hire in Pisa a few weeks back. Now Pisa, with cobbled streets, mass tourism and a medieval street lay-out, where they have to merge with other conventional traffic, must be the ultimate test. Yet, with half-an-hour of basic training, the general public are let loose on them. As far as I know, the casualty rate is below the attrition claimed by Blasted Boris from bendy buses (i.e. nil).

As for your problems with the remaining hereditaries, that’s down to the craven capitulation of New Labour. I myself favour the Kalashnikov solution.