Segway Will Cause 'Urban Chaos'

24 February 2003 - 7:00am

Columnist Charles Cooper argues that the Segway Human Transporter does not belong on city sidewalks.

"The Segway human transporter is one of the neatest gadgets to come down the pike in quite a long time. It's innovative, it's compelling and it's entirely cool. But is cool necessarily the stuff of smart public policy?...Segway's uber-scooter, which is about as wide as an average adult and can travel up to a maximum speed of 12.5 mph, will be able to operate wherever a pedestrian can walk [and will] usher in a new era of urban chaos involving man and machine.... If man and machine are going to coexist, I suppose cities should carve up public sidewalks with separate Segway lanes."

Source: CNET News, February 21, 2003
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No matter how one wanted to organize the ideal city, housing security would be part of it. No community can function effectively if large numbers of its residents are regularly displaced or perpetually at risk of being displaced.