Ah, the first red-bellied fad bird of summer
: I made my first Segway sighting in New York: At 41st and 6th, right by Bryant Park, here came a guy zooming put-putting gliding along the sidewalk. You have to love New York for its essential cool: Not one person, not one stopped, gasped, spoke, or even turned at the sight of the guy: We’ve seen it all before. It’s a good thing the sidewalk was not crowded as he oozed along; it takes up as much space and time as a gawking Kansas tourist. New Yorkers will get hostile if these things start breeding. Or then again, it could be the thing to have for a week or two. If we stories about a flashmob on Segways, I’m moving to Kansas.
The fad divide
: While New Yorkers are riding Segways that cost $5,000, across the river in Jersey City, the hot fad in transportation at the moment is the motorized scotter, for under $300.
Dear Jeff:
Check this out:
http://www.delawareonline.com/newsjournal/opinion/view/08102003A.html
As this editorial notes, the little scooters can generate some controversy pretty easily.
BTW, at the Delaware beaches they’re selling for $350.
BR,
Fritz Schranck
/f
weblogestan breaking news… in: WOLFNEWS Channel
If they had had these when I lived in NY I might have gotten one. Except that I might have been too afraid of NY cab drivers and buses to venture out into the street with it, and certainly couldn’t use it on the sidewalk. Still, something needs to be done to give people more point-to-point mobility without putting them all into SUVs or expecting year-round bicycling (slower than scooters) in the North Atlantic climate. This one may fit the bill.
Of course, where I am now in Hawaii its all just mental speculation. There won’t be anyone scooting along the 20 mile trip to the nearest store. People are more likely to hitchhike here if they can’t afford a car.
I eagerly await the first Segway rider to come ambling between cars on the IRT some Saturday afternoon when you could actually get one of those things onto a subway car and move around without having to worry about the 200 other people standing up in the aisle.