Sidewalk Spat Shaping Up Over Vehicle

It has two wheels and a handlebar, but don’t call it a scooter.

It is propelled by an electric motor, but don’t confuse it with a golf cart.

The much-ballyhooed Segway human transporter is a self-balancing, motorized conveyance that is unique in the world of transportation. But marketing concerns are only part of the reason why the manufacturer is particular about what to call it.

Segway LLC of New Hampshire doesn’t want you to confuse its invention with a scooter or an electric cart because such vehicles are prohibited from public sidewalks in most states. In fact, the only motorized vehicles allowed on sidewalks in California are wheelchairs and carts used by the disabled.

Segway hopes to change that. The firm has sponsored legislation in Sacramento to rewrite the definition of a pedestrian to include people using the Segway transporter, thus allowing the device to roll on all public sidewalks in the state.

The state Senate already has approved the bill, and a final vote in the Assembly is expected next month. Similar legislation sponsored by Segway in 30 other states has already been adopted.

But many pedestrian activists and advocates for the blind don’t count themselves among the bill’s supporters. They worry that the 65-pound transporter, with a top cruising speed of 12.5 mph, will endanger senior citizens, children and other pedestrians when it goes on the market sometime next year.

“That could kill somebody,” said Deborah Murphy, founder of L.A. Walks, a pedestrian advocacy group in Los Angeles.

In addition to the concerns over pedestrian safety, the Segway transporter has also raised questions about who or what should have access to public sidewalks.

Created by inventor Dean Kamen, the Segway looks like a push-style lawnmower. But it is equipped with 10 computers and five gyroscopes to keep a single rider balanced on two side-by-side wheels.

It has no brakes or accelerator. A rider, standing on the transporter platform, simply shifts forward and silently glides ahead.

The transporter has already made appearances on NBC’s “Tonight Show” and ABC’s “Good Morning America” and at Disney World’s Epcot Center. It is in use by the U.S. Postal Service, the National Park Service and at several law enforcement agencies nationwide.

It is expected to go on sale to the public next year, with a price tag starting at about $3,000.

Senate Bill 1918 would allow an “electric assistive mobility device” with the Segway’s specifications on all sidewalks, without requiring the rider to have a license or a helmet. If the bill is adopted, cities can impose limits on the time and place where the devices are used.

The biggest concern for critics is that the machine can operate at three to four times the speed of an average pedestrian. At that velocity, critics say, the Segway should be relegated to bike lanes or the street.

Catherine Skivers, president of the California Council for the Blind, is concerned that the device could be dangerous to visually impaired pedestrians who won’t hear the near-silent electric transporter approaching.

Segway officials say the transporter is too small and slow for streets. Besides, they say, the device has been thoroughly tested, and it continues to be evaluated by government agencies throughout the country.

But the testing has not been without a few bumps. In May, a member of a business district patrol unit in Atlanta toppled from a Segway going up a driveway onto a sidewalk, injuring his knee.

Segway officials point out that--as is the case with bicycles, scooters and skateboards--the rider is ultimately responsible for operating the device safely.

“Technology does not replace common sense,” said Matt Dailida, manager of state government affairs for Segway.

But some critics say that even when properly used, the machine can be dangerous in an innocent mishap.

David Lawrence, director of the Center for Injury Prevention Policy and Practice at San Diego State University, said a collision between pedestrians is usually harmless. But, he asked, what happens if one of those pedestrians is on a Segway?

“If someone bumps into a Segway operator, that same temporary loss of balance could send a speeding vehicle careening into people walking nearby,” Lawrence said.

Dailida said the transporter--when traveling at 9 mph--takes about four feet to stop. And if a rider falls off, it stops automatically, he added.

But accidents are inevitable, and a Washington, D.C., law firm is already preparing to take advantage of that fact. The firm, called USA Immigration Law Center, has announced that it is preparing to specialize in Segway injury cases.

“We believe that the Segway HT [human transporter] is a legal nightmare and will be the basis for many lawsuits, both from the corporate and consumer side,” the law firm says on its Web site.

Dailida said he had not heard of the firm but added: “It’s very premature for any group like that to prepare for legal suits against our company.”

In Los Angeles County, liability issues have prompted officials at the Metropolitan Transportation Authority to reconsider using the Segway transporter in a pilot project intended to promote alternative transportation around transit centers. The project, which was scheduled to start in April, is on hold pending further study.

But such setbacks have not discouraged Segway, which invested $100 million in creating the human transporter. The company also spent $49,000 on a Sacramento lobbying firm to push the legislation submitted by Sen. Tom Torlakson (D-Antioch).

Michael Smith, president of Walk San Francisco, a Bay Area pedestrian advocacy group, suggested that Segway had used its money and influence to get the Senate to vote 30 to 1 in support of the bill.

“Our sidewalks are not for sale,” he said.

Torlakson said he has taken no contributions from Segway but championed the legislation because he is interested in promoting alternative transportation. “It’s an incredible invention,” he said. “Let’s give it a chance.”

Besides the safety concerns, critics wonder whether the Segway transporter is needed. Given the problems America has with obesity and diabetes, they ask why more people don’t use old-fashioned foot power to get around.

Said Smith: “What the Segway would do is automate one of the oldest forms of exercise: walking.”