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# Defending the Segway
- URL: https://www.smdp.com/defending-the-segway-editor/
- Published: 2006-05-31T15:00:00.000Z
- Updated: 2026-10-23T18:09:01.000Z
- Author: Guest Author
- Tags: Opinion, Venice, #archive-import

*By Carlos Pineiro Santa Monica*

I’d like to offer an informed response to your cover story,“Segway law hanging in the balance” (SMDP, May 16, page 1). I’m a Segway commuter from Santa Monica and I’m on the local sidewalks every day.

I commute to Venice Boulevard from Fourth Street in Santa Monica five days a week by Segway. I’m on the boardwalk in Venice for over a mile, and I can tell you that there is no more congested stretch of sidewalk anywhere in LA County. Not only are there tens of thousands of pedestrians, there are innumerable obstacles and distractions. The pedestrians are not focused commuters on the way to work, they are people at the beach walking around in every direction. They are jogging, biking, rollerblading, skateboard-ing, performing, panhandling, you name it. Kids, dogs, shoppers, surfers with boards, and yes, Segway pedestrians like me. There has never been even the slightest chance of bumping into someone on my Segway. I would no more bump into someone on the sidewalk than I would run into them if I was jogging. People just don’t do that.

Segways are the world’s first true pedestrian assistance device, and they have a chance to improve the quality of life for everyone. I only use my car when I have to deal with cargo or passengers. Because of my Segway, there’s one less car on the streets of Santa Monica five days a week. One less car in the garages, at the gas pump, and one less car in front of you in traffic. Instead of sitting in beach traffic for 30 minutes, I get to work refreshed and safe in about eight minutes. It costs me 20 cents a week in electricity.

Allen Battino,the Westwood Segway commuter featured in your article,was recently at the local Segway dealership in Santa Monica. Battino told me that Jerry Rubin, a local bumper sticker salesman/activist, was there after voicing concerns to City Hall about Segway safety. Mr. Rubin was offered a free demo ride by the dealership, but he declined. To be more informed, Mr. Rubin should try one, and also check California Vehicle Code section 313\. Segways are Electronic Personal Assistive Mobility Devices (EPAMDS). They are pedestrian devices, they are not vehicles. Unlike vehicles, they are only as wide as your shoulders. The entire device is right underneath you, and you have complete control over its movements. Unlike vehicles like bicycles, they can stand motionless, self balance, stop, go backwards, and can pivot in place. They don’t have a conventional throttle. They respond to your own body’s natural movements, adjusting 100 times per second. It’s like an extension of your body.

Can a person on a Segway bump into another person? Sure, it’s possible, but as I said earlier, people just don’t do that. Could you have a serious accident crawling along a busy sidewalk on a Segway? Hardly. People just don’t do that. How about pedestrians on other devices? Could a motorized wheelchair with an irresponsible rider plow into the AMC movie line at 5 mph? Sure, it’s possible. Ever see that happen? Of course not. People just don’t do that. Just because something is possible doesn’t mean it’s going to happen. After four years on the market, approximately 30,000 Segways are on sidewalks safely transporting people all over the world.

Remember, it took several years for personal computers to take off, mostly because PCs were around $8,000 in 1990 — without the monitor. A new Segway is about $5,000 today. When they become affordable the way computers did after 10 years on the market, they will be everywhere.Ask any Segway owner and they will tell you how great and how safe they are.

*Originally published in the Santa Monica Daily Press print edition on May 31, 2006.* [Read the original PDF.](https://s3.us-east-1.amazonaws.com/smdp%5Fbackissues/053106.pdf?ref=smdp.com)