San Francisco says no to Segway Transporter

The Union Leader (NH) ^ | 01/20/02 | Denis Paiste

[LS]

Hahah. so much for the "wave of the future" in personal transportation! This was the liberal icon's dream vehicle, now it is banned in the liberal mecca. I love it.

[Tijeras_Slim]

I was looking forward to the "Streets of San Francisco" style chases on these things.

[grobdriver]

The company hired lobbying firms but has made no contributions to any public officials or candidates

Here was their error. They didn't buy, or even attempt to buy any "public officials".

[Eric in the Ozarks]

Now, THAT'S FUNNY...

[indianaconservative]

I am going to wait for the four wheeled version that has a "cab" to protect user from the weather.

[Hodar]

“There were statistics submitted to us about injuries and the Segways themselves did not have adequate safety features to alert people they might be behind them,” said Tom Ammiano, a San Francisco supervisor who supported the ban.
Obviously a bicycle bell would be to technically challenging to figure out. ring-ringgggg

No state is requiring that its drivers be trained, although some have set minimum age and helmet requirements.

Segway officials say the scooters have been tested for 100,000 hours on city streets across the nation without injury.

Obviously, San Fransciso officials have made yet another well researched and informed decision to pass on to it's citizens.

[~Peter]

I'd just bet that you drive an SUV ... right?

[Hodar]

I'm not a share-holder, but I think this is a great idea. Now elderly and disabled people may get out and about safely, to be able to run errands to the store without needing wheelchair assistance. Small, efficient, and safe, what more could one want?

To see one in action, just follow this link: mms://wm.amazon.usa.speedera.net/wm.amazon.usa/vid/General_use_high.wmv

[AdA$tra]

What a typical steaming load of San Francisco crap.

[tje]

I wondered how cities that ban skateboards, rollerblades, and bicycles from sidewalks could justify letting Segway's in. But they do allow electric wheelchairs and those scooter things you see elderly riding around on.

How fast can electric wheelchairs and those scooters go? Also, I never see people wearing helmets when they ride in wheelchairs or these scooters.

While I find the Segway interesting from a technological standpoint, the idea of pushing it as a 'save the environment' solution was ludicrous. I've also noticed that the 'environmental' Segway rhetoric that was touted when the Segway was first released has quieted down.

[ErnBatavia]

I was looking forward to the "Streets of San Francisco" style chases on these things.

[DWSUWF]

"...Here was their error. They didn't buy, or even attempt to buy any "public officials"..."

DUH!

This was as classic a bribe scenario as has ever existed.

The naïveté of the Segway management team here is breathtaking.

Fire them and replace them with people who understand that so called public officials are very rarely 'unbribable', in one currency or another.

[cyborg]

I just bought a new motorcycle for $3,000! Why would I buy a segway for two thousand more and can't use anywhere else but on a sidewalk?!

[no-s]

made no contributions to any public officials or candidates

That's the company spokesman. I think he's making a point. About San Francisco's government. Obliquely, perhaps.

[Squawk 8888]

My thoughts exactly. I'm looking at an electric bike that sells for about USD$850, does 30mph and has a range of 50 miles on a charge.

[NewHampshireDuo]

What a typical steaming load of San Francisco crap.

They will be legal in SF as soon as Segway fits a shopping cart basket and donates a bunch of them to a homeless group.

[Squawk 8888]

Segways don't worry me, I just wish my city would enforce the law prohibiting bicycles on sidewalks. Sidwalk cyclists are lowlifes who kill then blame the victims for having the nerve to walk outside.

[csvset]

In hilly San Francisco, officials feared Segways would cause more problems than they would solve, particularly for the disabled and senior citizens.

They left out homeless bums. If introduced to SF, the bums would demand that they be issued Segways so that they could destroy them , run over other citizens, drive them into traffic as well as parked cars, etc.

Yes, Segway officials should have consulted SF's real leaders, the bums.

[Kozak]

Reminds me of the disaster in SF when a French company wanted to install self cleaning pay toilets ( the prototype I saw was spotlessly clean). By the time the disabled advocates and other pc types got done with it the company told SF to stuff it. Try finding a clean public toilet in SF....