London needs the Segway

London needs the Segway like a hole in the head, more like. For that sort of money you could buy a
moped with enough range to get you to work /and/ back, faster, and still have enough change left
over for a trip to the cinema. AND a second moped, for Sundays.

Dave Larrington - legslarry.beerdrinkers.co.uklegslarry.beerdrinkers.co.ukOpen ↗
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Editor - British Human Power Club Newsletter
bhpc.org.ukbhpc.org.ukOpen ↗
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Colin Blackburn said:

guardian.co.uk0,3604,1071636,00.htmlOpen ↗

wherein we read:

"[More] than half of today's car journeys are less than a mile. The urban car makes no sense. In
fact, as Kamen says, "it is the enemy"."

"Why is London right for Kamen's invention? Congestion charges are squeezing the one-person car
off London streets. As part of that programme, Livingstone has broadened pavements and built a
network of cycle lanes. But, in mass transport terms, the bikers and hikers haven't happened. The
field is built, but as yet no game has come."

There is at least one letter replying to this article pointing out the benefits of walking or
cycling that one mile journey, even if there hasn't been a Damascan take-up.

I think it's a gimmicky invention for lazy Americans and isn't safe for the pavements. That's the
trouble with all these small motorised devices (such as the execrable petrol scooters) - unsafe for
the rider on the road and unsafe for peds on the pavement.

Colin Blackburn said:

guardian.co.uk0,3604,1071636,00.htmlOpen ↗

wherein we read:

"[More] than half of today's car journeys are less than a mile. The urban car makes no sense. In
fact, as Kamen says, "it is the enemy"."

"Why is London right for Kamen's invention? Congestion charges are squeezing the one-person car
off London streets. As part of that programme, Livingstone has broadened pavements and built a
network of cycle lanes. But, in mass transport terms, the bikers and hikers haven't happened. The
field is built, but as yet no game has come."

There is at least one letter replying to this article pointing out the benefits of walking or
cycling that one mile journey, even if there hasn't been a Damascan take-up.

Colin

London needs the Segway like a fish needs a bicycle.....Sorry couldnt resist.

Stan Cox
--
Brighton Excelsior CC Member Cat 3 Fat Bloke Brighton, UK

"Colin Blackburn" <[email hidden]> wrote in message
"]news:[email hidden]...

Quoted message said:

There is at least one letter replying to this article pointing out the benefits of walking or
cycling that one mile journey, even if there hasn't been a Damascan take-up.

Actually the modal switch to cycling has been greater than predicted - people in TfL are talking
about a 30% increase (not verified though)

Simon

Colin Blackburn said:

guardian.co.uk0,3604,1071636,00.htmlOpen ↗

wherein we read:

"[More] than half of today's car journeys are less than a mile. The urban car makes no sense. In
fact, as Kamen says, "it is the enemy"."

This is because the Segway has been a failure in the United States, with all machines sold having
been recalled for safety problems which are as far as I know still unresolved, so they're having to
look desperately for other markets. Also, while Segways may take up less road real estate, but they
do nothing about the health issues. A Segwaying population is just as obese, just as flaccid, just
as unhealthy as the motoring population of today.

--
[email hidden] (Simon Brooke) jasmine.org.uk~simonOpen ↗

;; Want to know what SCO stands for? ;; ars.userfriendly.orgcartoonsOpen ↗

Colin Blackburn <[email hidden]> wrote in message
news:<[email hidden]>...

Quoted message said:

guardian.co.uk0,3604,1071636,00.htmlOpen ↗ "Why is London right for Kamen's
invention?"

there seem to me to be several drawbacks: It costs and arm and a leg; it has difficulty negotiating
obstacles such as kerbs, cracks in pavement, crips packets etc; It is not legal for use on the
carriageway; It is not legal for use on the footway; It has limited range and weighs a ton; Since
they only sold a couple in the US and then had to recall them because they fall over when the
battery gets low the company is likely to cease production and go out of business; you will look
like a bit of a w*nk*r on one

best wishes james

Dave Larrington said:

London needs the Segway like a hole in the head, more like. For that sort of money you could buy a
moped with enough range to get you to work /and/ back, faster, and still have enough change left
over for a trip to the cinema. AND a second moped, for Sundays.

Please, no, for the love of God, no mopeds !

Where I came from mopeds used to be the most common transportation vehicles due to their low price
and ease of use. But they're [censored] noisy. With tens of them being in the 50 yards vicinity it was
unbearable to walk along the street. Then the general prosperity in the country increased and people
began choosing cars to mopeds. What a beautiful thing silence is ....

Quoted message said:

Dave Larrington - legslarry.beerdrinkers.co.uklegslarry.beerdrinkers.co.ukOpen ↗
===========================================================
Editor - British Human Power Club Newsletter
bhpc.org.ukbhpc.org.ukOpen ↗
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Dave Larrington said:

London needs the Segway like a hole in the head, more like.

But Dave, the Segway could free millions from the misery of actualy having to put one foot in front
of the other! It could be the salvation of the state pension - they'll all die aged 45.

--
Guy
===
WARNING: may contain traces of irony. Contents may settle after posting.
chapmancentral.demon.co.ukchapmancentral.demon.co.ukOpen ↗

you know? said:

Dave Larrington said:

London needs the Segway like a hole in the head, more like.

But Dave, the Segway could free millions from the misery of actualy having to put one foot in front
of the other! It could be the salvation of the state pension - they'll all die aged 45.

Thing about a Segway is that you can't fall off it. Unless you have a special talent like this chap.
gothamist.com002674.phpOpen ↗

--
Dave...

"John Hearns" <[email hidden]> wrote:

| On Wed, 29 Oct 2003 16:53:27 +0000, Dave Larrington wrote:
|
| > London needs the Segway like a hole in the head, more like. For that sort
...
| Also for big factory sites - but people have been using bikes to get around big sites for years.

I used to work for Ford Parts in Daventry - the place used to be in Trivial Pursuit as the biggest
one-floor warehouse in Europe (the Cologne head office had more parts IIRC but had high bays with
ultra-big fork-lifts). [1] There were three types of part order: stock (deliver when you can,
mate), rush (bloke waiting for it, not too angry) and Vehicle-Off-Road (Elton John's Capri isn't
working). I once went into the warehouse and saw the emergency vehicle - a butcher's bike with a
wicker basket with a sellotaped label saying "VOR". I did wonder how they got a replacement
near-side wing in it...

[1] this is probably a state secret but it was many years ago so what the heck.

--
Patrick Herring, Sheffield, UK anweald.co.ukanweald.co.ukOpen ↗

"John Hearns" <[email hidden]> wrote in message
"]news:[email hidden]...

Quoted message said:

Also for big factory sites - but people have been using bikes to get around big sites for years.

In days of old the staff in Frankfurt Airport happily cycled round the terminal. Haven't seen this
for many years -- probably band by the H&S nerks -- and the place has got a smidge busier.

T

John Hearns said:

And what can the Segway do that the already popular, cheap bicycle can't? And a bicycle can
do more.

As far as Joe Punter is concerned, it has an effectively non-existent wheelbase so is potentially
more manoeuvrable in tight, crowded spaces. It might be *most* unwise to have everyone on a pavement
on a Segway, but much as speeding and telephone use in cars is only dangerous when practised by
Other People (ghastly folk!), I imagine that would be the attitude those rich/daft/gadget obsessed
enough to buy one may well be using. One thing it can do the bike can't is have a different image,
and that affects the ability to market it. Not necessarily a Good Thing, but a tangible thing.

Quoted message said:

Thinking about mopeds, one use the Segway is being touted for is posties. Posties in Switzerland
use small mopeds with trailers, and this is perfectly sensible and works well.

It depends on the round. The above would make far more sense on my lane, which has a fair bit of
rough travel, several garden paths that wouldn't take a Segway very well and places where you can
stop and access several houses at once from. There are others where I'll have to admit a Segway
would work a lot better (think a long line of regularly spaced houses with flat drives, no gates,
15m apart and 15m long).

Quoted message said:

Also for big factory sites - but people have been using bikes to get around big sites for years.

I think it is a solution looking for a problem. If they weren't so expensive they might even find
one, but as it is it might be taking a parallel road to the C5...

Pete.
--
Peter Clinch University of Dundee Tel 44 1382 660111 ext. 33637 Medical Physics, Ninewells Hospital
Fax 44 1382 640177 Dundee DD1 9SY Scotland UK net [email hidden]
dundee.ac.uk~pjclinchOpen ↗

Guray Acar said:

Please, no, for the love of God, no mopeds !

Where I came from mopeds used to be the most common transportation vehicles due to their low price
and ease of use. But they're [censored] noisy. With tens of them being in the 50 yards vicinity it
was unbearable to walk along the street. Then the general prosperity in the country increased and
people began choosing cars to mopeds. What a beautiful thing silence is ....

I must admit to loving mopeds when I was out in Vietnam, though I can see your point about the
noise. However, out there the cars weren't much quieter either.

Colin
--

Guray Acar said:

Dave Larrington said:

London needs the Segway like a hole in the head, more like. For that sort of money you could buy
a moped with enough range to get you to work /and/ back, faster, and still have enough change
left over for a trip to the cinema. AND a second moped, for Sundays.

Please, no, for the love of God, no mopeds !

I'm with Guray on this one.

Am I the only one here who thinks that the Segway is a brilliant invention?

Of course you can argue that the last thing society needs is a new way for folk to be lazy but let's
face it, people are lazy already and if more folk had Segways, they might well be less inclined to
jump into their cars to nip to the post office/corner shop etc. This would reduce pollution *and*
make the roads safer for cyclists.

The flip side is that it will undoubtably convert some pedestrians into Segwayists but until it
arrives in numbers, I don't think we should necessarily assume that it the Segway will be the social
and public health disaster that everyone seems to be predicting.

Tim

--
Remove the obvious to reply by email.

Tony W said:

In days of old the staff in Frankfurt Airport happily cycled round the terminal. Haven't seen this
for many years -- probably band by the H&S nerks -- and the place has got a smidge busier.

I saw a bicycle-mounted plod happily riding around inside the terminal in San Francisco airport last
year. On the flight side of the passport checks too.

Dave Larrington - legslarry.beerdrinkers.co.uklegslarry.beerdrinkers.co.ukOpen ↗
===========================================================
Editor - British Human Power Club Newsletter
bhpc.org.ukbhpc.org.ukOpen ↗
===========================================================

Tim Downie said:

Am I the only one here who thinks that the Segway is a brilliant invention?

Technically I regard it as an amazing piece of kit. But the same goes for the Harrier Jump Jet, and
I don't have much use for one of those either...

Quoted message said:

The flip side is that it will undoubtably convert some pedestrians into Segwayists but until it
arrives in numbers, I don't think we should necessarily assume that it the Segway will be the
social and public health disaster that everyone seems to be predicting.

With what it costs and what it does (makes walking around easier, but most people can do that
anyway) I can't see it turning up in big numbers anytime soon. I can see clear benefits for mobility
impaired folk who aren't actually confined to wheelchairs, and things like that.

Pete.
--
Peter Clinch University of Dundee Tel 44 1382 660111 ext. 33637 Medical Physics, Ninewells Hospital
Fax 44 1382 640177 Dundee DD1 9SY Scotland UK net [email hidden]
dundee.ac.uk~pjclinchOpen ↗

"Tim Downie" <[email hidden]> wrote in message
"]news:[email hidden]...

Quoted message said:

Am I the only one here who thinks that the Segway is a brilliant

invention?

Perhaps.

Quoted message said:

they might well be less inclined to jump into their cars to nip to the post office/corner shop
etc. This would reduce pollution *and*

make

Quoted message said:

the roads safer for cyclists.

Where would you store it for that to be convenient? How do you lock it up at the shop.

The answer to the above is the "bike unfit even for the scrapyard". Although I cannot leave it
outside the house all the time as it brings the tone down

Tim Downie said:

Am I the only one here who thinks that the Segway is a brilliant invention?

Well I'm sure it is very clever, but it was also very obvious from day 1 that it was as close to
utterly useless as makes no difference (in the context of the hype about solving urban transport
problems - I don't deny that it could have some use in specialised applications).

It astonishes me that anyone took it seriously in the first place. Then again, my astonish-o-meter
keeps on getting overloaded, perhaps it is me who is out of touch with reality.

James

mae <[email hidden]> wedi ysgrifennu:

Quoted message said:

With what it costs and what it does (makes walking around easier, but most people can do that
anyway) I can't see it turning up in big numbers anytime soon. I can see clear benefits for
mobility impaired folk who aren't actually confined to wheelchairs, and things like that.

An additional issue is that of priorities in traffic. It appears to me (I'm not aware of any
studies) that we have what I would consider to be a cultural over-respect for mechanical and
especially motorised transport. This may be because pedestrians simply don't like getting hit by
lumps of reletively fast moving plastic and/or metal. The effect of this is that cyclists, electric
scooter pilots, and soon, I presume Segway drivers (not to mention the odd motorist) take a 'get out
of my way or else' attitude on footpaths and pedestrians, maybe, as I said, out of fear for their
own safety, pretty much accept this. Similary, many cyclists are on the footpath in the first place
because they've been frightened off the roads by the perceived dangers of motor traffic.

If the introduction of the Segway is going to be to the disproportionate disadvantage of other road
users particulary on crowded city pavements such as those in central London, then its use might have
to be regulated.

--
Rob

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