When Will We Cease to be Fascinated by the Segway?
Segway launched its Personal Transporter in 2001. In the intervening years, press outlets far and wide seem to write up a story any time someone mounts one of these pricey scooters. This morning, the Washington Post kept the six-year honeymoon alive, with a feature on the front page of the Metro section. You didn't have to read too closely to find the product plugs for Segway:
Sure, police realize that some will laugh at the sight of hard-nosed officers wheeling about. But, in a way, that's the beauty of the Segway.
"People will come up to you and say, 'It's kinda silly,' " said Sgt. Michael Wear. "But you know what they're doing? They're talking to the police on a human level. That's what we want."
...
"For a foot beat officer, it gets you where you need to be quicker," Officer Derrick Potts said as he threaded his Segway through orange cones at the training academy yesterday. "You also can go places cars can't go."
Potts said being on the Segway increases his field of vision, noting that the Segway elevates him by eight inches.
...
For D.C. police, Segways are a community relations tool as much as a mode of travel..."
...
Ideally, Wear said, members of the public will walk away with a positive impression of police---one of the priorities of Chief Cathy L. Lanier's quest to improve neighborhood ties. "It's high-visibility equipment," Wear said.
Comments
Leave a Reply
You can follow any responses to this entry through its comments RSS feed.
2:26 am
We will cease to be fascinated by the Segway if and when it reaches "critical mass." Right now the DC ratio of non-Segway riders to Segway riders is ludicrously high. How many non-tourists do you see on a Segway every week? A couple, maybe? Out of several tens of thousands of people you see commuting to work. It is still too early to tell whether Segway riders will ever make any inroads. But I personally know that I am buying one, because I went out with the DC Segway users group last week and was instantly convinced it would be practical for me -- cost-effective and incredibly fun. The more people buy them, the less of a novelty they will be, and there goes the fascination.
I suppose it was the same way with the horseless carriage. They were probably novelties for several years, until they finally took off -- with Ford's assembly line, wasn't it? Mass produce the Segways, set the price point lower, offer better financing options, and they'll either catch on and develop critical mass... or the company will go out of business. Either way, you'll have your answer.
6:52 am
When a few more Segways show up on the sidewalk and crash into pedestrian heels and faces at 12 mph; when Segways are relegated to bike paths and bike lanes, and bike riders collide with them and car doors are ripped off as they pass; when orthopedic surgeons and liability lawyers send their kids to Colgate on their proceeds from the resulting mess, the fun will go out of the Segway. Until then, lets have some fun.
8:52 am
I agree with Matt that much of the fascination results from there being so few Segways around. The reason for that? In large part it is the price which puts it beyond the rnage of a "toy" which, to Mike's point, prevents those that might abuse the product, as he suggests, from ever owning one. Each issue Mike points out is more likely to happen to someone on a bike than on a Segway. the resonsibility rests with the rider, not the means of transportation.
I bought a Segway this spring and it is truly a conversation magnet. Each time I go downtown in Hamilton, MA, I end up talking to 3 to 6 people about the Segway. Also, let's not forget that it gets the energy equivalency of 450 miles to the gallon!
I have received such positive responses from people that I have recently offered a free Segway to clients who list their homes for sale with me. the marketing has only just begun for this promotion, but I expect great results based upon the "buzz" I am already hearing.
Regards,
Jay Burnham
Hamilton, Massachusetts
4:07 pm
To Mike:
I've taken at least a thousand first time users around this city on a Segway, mostly in areas filled with tourests. I haven't seen a pedistrian get so much as bumped a single time. Any time there is a close call (usually these are caused by the pedestrian) the worst that happens is the rider falls. Perhaps there are safety concerns in regards to the Segway, but pedestrains, bikers, and car doors (wtf?!) have nothing to fear.