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Segway - State Legislative Actions

Budgie

Budgie

Cyburbian
Messages
5,262
Points
30
Thoughts? Any premature jumps to conclusion among the transportation gurus? Several states including, but not limited to, New Jersey, New Mexico, Georgia, Washington, and Minnesota have either passed Segway legislation regarding use in the public ROW and sidewalks or have it on their plate.

http://www.citizen.com/news2002/Feb/16/ap0216g.htm
 
Bullwinkle

Bullwinkle

Cyburbian
Messages
176
Points
7
Idaho just passed legislation that allows Segways to be operated on sidewalks. They are officially called "electric personal assistive mobility devices" by the good folks in Boise. Kinda rolls off your tongue, huh?

Here is a link to the legislation, and two relevant sections:

http://www3.state.id.us/oasis/H0550.html

"A person operating a vehicle by human power, or operating a motorized wheelchair or an electric personal assistive mobility device upon and along a sidewalk, or across a highway upon and along a crosswalk, shall have all the rights and duties applicable to a pedestrian under the same circumstances."

"Electric personal assistive mobility device" means a self-balancing two (2) nontandem wheeled device designed to transport only one (1) person, with an electric propulsion system that limits the maximum speed of the device to fifteen (15) miles per hour or less.
 
Chet

Chet

Cyburbian Emeritus
Messages
10,589
Points
34
EPAMD's????

Bullwinkle wrote:
They are officially called "electric personal assistive mobility devices" by the good folks in Boise. Kinda rolls off your tongue, huh?
Click to expand...

They could have made a better acronym! I personally like the "Segway Human Transporter", or SHT. So....

Are the sidewalks in Boise going to be covered in SHT?

What do you do when your SHT breaks?

Is everyone that owns one a SHT head?

If all Segways look alike, when you try to find yours in the "parking area", how can you find your SHT?

I've never seen one personally, so I guess I don't know SHT.
 
Budgie

Budgie

Cyburbian
Messages
5,262
Points
30
Segway and the City

http://www.bricklin.com/segway.htm

Anyone who has read Jane Jacobs surely has a clue. If you haven't read "The Life and Death of American Cities", you better. Try some James Howard Kunstler, if you're feeling a little fiesty.
 
Budgie

Budgie

Cyburbian
Messages
5,262
Points
30
Keep your eyes open.

http://www.bricklin.com/segwayride1.htm
http://www.bricklin.com/segwayride2.htm

These papers were written and posted to the internet this week.

Planners and other local government officials better keep their eyes open. Did anyone see the Segway on Fraiser? How about in the latest Delphi commercial? How about at Epcot center or in downtown Atlanta? Manchester, New Hampshire? Concord, New Hampshire? Orlando, Florida?

Go to your search engine and search for Segway? You should get about 30,000 hits. It's only a matter of time.

IS THIS THE MISSING LINK TO CURB SPRAWL?
 
NHPlanner

NHPlanner

A shadow of my former self
Staff member
Moderator
Messages
10,160
Points
46
Re: Keep your eyes open.

jamesholland wrote:
Concord, New Hampshire?
Click to expand...

Yep...they're delivering mail in my hometown on them as I write this. About 1/3 of the carriers in Concord are testing SHT's.
 
Tranplanner

Tranplanner

maudit anglais
Messages
7,946
Points
39
Re: Keep your eyes open.

jamesholland wrote:

IS THIS THE MISSING LINK TO CURB SPRAWL?
Click to expand...

I have my doubts...

Why would a technology that allows people increased mobility suddenly encourage the building of more compact development? If anything, the history of the automobile's effect on society leads me to suspect that SHTs may encourage sprawl (admittedly with less visible drawbacks).

Could developers start using an argument like "sure you can't walk to the corner store, but you can hop on your SHT and that's just as good, isn't it?" as justification to continue building sprawling subdivisions?

I think the SHT will be great in suburban areas, and where it isn't too hard to provide the infrastruture to accommodate them (e.g. on existing bike paths, trails, etc.). I can't see them weaving around the heavy pedestrian flows we get on our downtown sidewalks - no matter how good the rider is.

Unless we start restricting use of the automobile in favour of SHTting (e.g. auto-free developments), I don't think we will see a reduction in sprawl brought about by this technology.

Oh yes, and bturk - can add one more to your list...the garage now becomes the SHThole.
 
Journeymouse

Journeymouse

Cyburbian
Messages
440
Points
13
Surrey County Council is very boring, I'm just trawling through the local Transport Plan, and they have allowance for "powered two wheel vehicles" - not even a creative abbreviation!
 
Tranplanner

Tranplanner

maudit anglais
Messages
7,946
Points
39
Is this a new plan Journeymouse? Powered two wheel vehicles could mean a lot of things - motorcycles for one! Hope they're not planning on letting those on the sidewalks :)
 
Journeymouse

Journeymouse

Cyburbian
Messages
440
Points
13
UK Local Transport Plans

Local Transport Plans (LTP) started in 1999, I think as part of the New Deal legislation, but it'll be on the DTLR website somewhere! An LTP is essentially a strategy and a bid for funding for that strategy. The bid was submitted in July 2000 and the plan runs from (financial year) 2001/02 to 2005/06, so it's already been going a year.

The bit about motorised two-wheel vehicles (and they will be including motorbikes, as Segway wasn't heard of until mid to late 2001 over here) is part of the section saying that they intend to provide better infrastructure for other road users other than cars, so they're talking about bus lanes and cycle lanes, allowing taxis and motorcycles in bus lanes, more footways and so on. These are all included because as an allegedly democratic society (cynical? me?) we have to allow for choice, and provide as much safety as possible once that choice has been made.

In case you're wondering, the 5 main objectives are: integration; environment; safety; economy; accessibility. Not necessarily in that order. The most noise being made seems to be about integration, safety and accessibility, so it's a start.

If you want to see more, the address is: http://ww2.surreycc.gov.uk/env/LTPlan/plan.nsf/webpagesall/Local+Transport+Plan+Home+Page?OpenDocument
 
C

Catrin

Cyburbian
Messages
23
Points
2
I honestly tried to read all of the posted links before posting, but only managed a few.
These wheeled feet will at best reduce parking problems in cities during good weather. They will do nothing for the commuter of 20, actually 10+ miles or more.

BUT there is something to be said about lessening the size of what uses the roadways. I live 2 miles from work and most of downtown. Last summer I bought a Vino (cheap knock off of a Vespa) and ride it about 5-6 months out of the year....to work using local streets. I would ride it more for errands but it would involve getting on busy streets with armies of SUVs...and those big things scare me.
So hoorah for the wheeled feet things and may they find their place without scaring the walkers.
 
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