letters, 3/5/2003

[March 5th, 2003] SEGWAY'S TURBO BOOSTER
Regarding "Segways on the Sidewalk" [WW, Jan. 29, 2003]: I'd like to share a few things about my daily commute and
how I gave up a car.

I use a Segway human transporter (HT) to go over seven miles per day. I've given up a car, we're saving over $600 per month (payment, insurance, gas, parking), and I've even lost 10 pounds with my extra time that I have each day to do more things like exercise, as opposed to sitting in traffic. In Washington state, cars are the largest source of air pollution.

You can read about it on my personal journal of owning a Segway HT: www.bookofseg. com.

Recently, I hit 100 miles logged on my GPS unit, which took about 14 days. In that time, I personally saved about $582 by using a Segway HT. (Some things weren't quantifiable; results may vary for others.) With the first month's saving from using the Segway HT, we gave to local and national charities such as: Bicycle Alliance of Washington, Alliance for Lung Cancer, Puget Sound Pedestrian Advocacy Group, America Walks, 1000 Friends of Washington, Senior Services of Washington, Transportation Choices Coalition, the U.S. Public Interest Research Group, American Civil Liberties Union and the Electronic Frontier Foundation.

Phillip M. Torrone
Seattle

CAN'T WE ALL JUST RIDE ALONG?
Your questions about new competition for sidewalk space in Portland invite response ["Segways on the Sidewalk," Jan. 29, 2003]. I'm writing to you because of my firsthand enthusiasm.

I recently bought a little folding electric scooter on eBay and would really like to ride it more, but I haven't been able to figure out where the city stands on permitting them. I found the riding experience amazingly easy to control, and up to three times the speed of walking. A couple of test commutes to my job via MAX trimmed a half-hour off my round-trip. There is not much danger--excellent visibility, slower than a bike, and not much mass involved to stop. People were very polite to me, and I rode carefully to blend in with walkers. I really like this new commuting option, and I would hate to see any jump to preventive conclusions.

From what I could determine of the San Francisco ban, the people voting against the Segway had not actually even seen one in use. I notice this controversy is starting to simmer around the country. Let's be fair and not too hasty to prejudge. The organization I work for has three separate locations downtown, and I am sure that we would eliminate car trips if we had little scooters to go between locations, no doubt faster on short hops than getting a car and searching for parking.

Let's make room for some new transportation options, whatever it takes to reduce our reliance on cars that weigh many hundreds of pounds. If more people tried these things, there would be more support. Think fun and efficient. My advice to the city is to let them catch on until controls become necessary. Let courtesy be a starting point, and give the public some time to adjust to the concept. Solutions will evolve.

Keith Iding
Northeast Clackamas Street