Malls in Qatar ban motorized space boards

I had to go to Villagio the other day on an errand and I realized something was amiss. The mall was crowded as always, some shops had a couple of “special offers” going on and the food court was buzzing as usual. Then it struck me that there were very few “self-balancing motorized space boards” zooming around.

A cross between a scooter and a skate board, these “motorized space boards” have been the latest fad among people, especially the youngsters.

Although these self-balancing electric scooters were first launched in January in USA, they hit the stores in Qatar around June this year. Since then, they have been a growing trend with the people of Qatar.

Costing around QR 3700 to QR 6500, it has been reported that these devices have been a huge hit in Qatar. In fact, the space boards have become so popular that a man even used one to perform thawaf in Mecca as shown in a viral video.

In the recent past, one would invariably see many of these boards whisking past in major malls and super markets.

However, now most of the malls and super markets in Qatar have begun to ban these space boards citing the numerous dangers that they could cause to the rider as well as to those around.

Some leading malls in Qatar, including Ezdan, Villaggio, Landmark and Dar Al Salaam, have reportedly banned the use of these electronic gadgets at their premises.

Some malls reported that they were facing a whole load of problems when riders of these space boards bump into others and when they ride by on high speed throughout the malls.

It has even been noted that some of the riders use these boards to go along the travelators (escalators for those with shopping carts) which is extremely dangerous.

Even though these boards are turning out to be the current fad, not all seem to like them. Many believe that these space boards can make humans less involved in physical activity.

What do you think of these space boards? Do any of you own one?