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Segway scooters not Welcome in San Francisco
In 2002, Dean Kamen was awarded the National Medal of Technology by President Clinton for “imaginative leadership in awakening America to the excitement of science and technology.” newest invention - the Segway scooter. Not only was this a great invention; itís changing the way we do things today.
In March of 2003, Segway scooters will be shipping to people all over the United States. Postal workers, police officers, and meter readers have already tried this new device and love the help it offers for those many hours of walking.
San Francisco, however, does not look on the Segway scooter as lovingly. On January 20, 2003, they became the first large municipality to outlaw the scooters. According to critics, itís considered a safety hazard on sidewalks because of its speed and weight in the midst of such large groups of people. There is also concern for the elderly and disabled.
With a speeds up to 12.5mph, the city of SF is worried people wonít have ample warning from behind to get out of the way. Even though motorized wheel chairs can go just as fast and are overlooked in this case.
Personally, I think itís just because they donít understand how useful it really is and how it works. Either that or thereís underlying issues from other businesses that are worried about the competition Segway scooters bring.
Either way itís a classic case of society not letting something new come in without a fight. It needs to prove itself worthwhile and undergo more tests than the current 100,000 hours itís spent on city streets across the nation without injury.
posted on January 20, 2003 | 8:22 PM EST
Add to the discussion.
walking is good for you.
Why do you need to eliminate the few ways of exercise we have left ourselves.
Another over-priced geeky invention that promises to make life better. “Get to your destination 6mph faster than walking” .
Why? So you can put more time in at the office?
This product is based on Hype.
Fris: I agree.
The Segway is pretty neat, I’ll admit, but look around. America is the fattest, least healthy nation in the world. Judging by the lawsuits these days (a 400-pound teenager and his mother say they didn’t know the Super-Sized Big Mac meals he’s been eating every day since he was six were going to make him 400 pounds?), we’re also the least likely to accept responsibility for our actions. Walking never hurt anybody that I was aware of.
And a comparison of the Segway (laziness by choice) to an electric wheelchair is a little off.
Generally I think that laws like SF’s are kind of ridiculousóand I will admit that its aim might be a bit knee-jerk-ishóbut come on. The people that could afford this thing ($3500+ on Amazon.com) are surely not postal workers. The federal government wouldn’t shell out the cash for those things…and if they do, shame on me for letting them spend my tax money on such waste.
Well - for those people that might walk only a little bit - yea - obviously not the best thing to spend your money on. What about those people that have to walk all day long and could accomplish much more. For example - the good old mail man.
All in all it’s just a scooter. However, I’m more impressed with the technology that sits around this particular scooter. The doors that are now open and the things they are currently doing with this technology is helping more than not.
As far as the exercise point:
Walking 20 feet from your car to your office isn’t exercise. Maybe, if it can help people get things done quicker they might actually have more time to themselves - like exercise or spend time with there kids.
However - if history proves itself, they’ll just take on more work instead.
My excitement is on the technology though…
Why does everyone feel the need to accomplish more?
What is it that whatever your accomplishing .. you need to do more of it in less time?
Not only are american’s unhealthy compared to the rest of the world , We work more hours of the day than anywhere else. And when we finally get home a large % can’t even leave the work they’ve done all day at the office with them.
I say give me a contraption that get’s me where i’m going in more time … so i can work less .. and leave even earlier to get to my loved ones who are dying for more attention.
I agree with Aaron on the point that walking to your office from the car isn’t exercise. That seems, however, to be more of an argument against the Segway than for it.
If you could get to, say, your office from your home in a reasonable amount of time using a Segway, I would think you could probably ride a bike in that amount of time, too. Or maybe even walk.
Fris has got a point, too. Why is everybody in such a rush? Work days are, for the most part, eight hours. Just because we can get a bunch of stuff done in less time doesn’t mean that the 40-hour work week will be pared down to 30 hours. It just means that more stuff will get piled on, and workers will be expected to do it in even less time. Then you get sloppier, less thorough, less thoughtful work.
Look at it this way: just because Dreamweaver and GoLive exist, web designers aren’t going home any earlier in the day. And according to most purists, the web community is the worse for WYSIWYG-editors. Such is the plight of the Segway.
I THINK SEGWAY IS SOMETHING VERY USEFUL
SPECIALLY FOR INSTANCE IN A BIG MANUFACTURING PLANT, FOR THE SUPERVISORS TO COVER MORE SPACE IN LESS TIME AND BE ABLE TO MANAGE THE PLACE.
fris Says:
walking is good for you.
Why do you need to eliminate the few ways of exercise we have left ourselves.
Another over-priced geeky invention that promises to make life better. “Get to your destination 6mph faster than walking” .
Why? So you can put more time in at the office?
This product is based on Hype.