Here: learn something…

http://www.ted.com/talks/lang/eng/dean_kamen_on_inventing_and_giving.html

nuf time wasted on you.

Only in SF, Mountain View, and maybe one or two other cities in CA ban them from sidewalks. Otherwise, in CA, you are considered a pedestrian, period. Explicitly. Go look it up; I’m tired of looking it up for people who spout off like this as if they knew something they don’t.

Also, for those of us who are disabled (and MANY Segway users are disabled — such as both myself and my 77-year-old mother), the protections of the Americans with Disabilities Act apply, and the SF ban does not. I commuted for a year and a half on Market Street, with no problem, except for a couple of self-appointed vigilantes. Mostly I got a whole lot of positive comments — including from police, and from Willy Brown himself.

They’re not a danger to pedestrians. They’re designed to be very compatible with pedestrians; taking up the same amount of space as a walking adult male. They move like a pedestrian, except they can’t step sideways without turning first. They’re EXTREMELY stable, despite appearances to the contrary. The tires are soft — safer for feet than a businessman’s shoes, and FAR safer than a wheelchair’s wheels (as my daughter can attest, having experienced both). They STOP when they encounter an obstruction. I routinely train new riders by having them run into me. They Segway will stop, even if they haven’t figured out how to stop by then. (It takes just a couple minutes to teach someone the basics).

In a rather bizarre point, the author of the blog here has derided the Segway user for dressing for the weather much as a pedestrian would, rather than as an overheated bicyclist must. When you think about it, that’s a HUGE advantage over a bicycle — not arriving at work dripping sweat.

However, you do get a lot more exercise than you think, on a Segway. After all, you ARE standing! And using your legs, over all those bumps and things. But no question — if your goal is to get yourself a maximum workout, dripping sweat and all, well, the bicycle is an excellent choice. But really, shouldn’t you be applauding that Segway user for not being in a car? Must EVERYONE conform to YOUR exercise standard?

What is it about certain people that they have to have people to look down on and make fun of, anyway?

I will survive.