“Instead of becoming the next Bill Gates or Henry Ford, Kamen might find himself ending up like another great American inventor, Preston Tucker, who in the 1940s built the Tucker, a car too far ahead of its time.”
I think the explanation is far simpler. The Segway revealed what we in the suburbs are getting to know more and more: You cannot walk or bike from any place of significance to any other place of significance in most modern areas of human habitation.
In a world largely created for cars, a conveyance like the Segway is nothing but a toy.
Ten years on, and I've neither ridden one nor seen one at use "in the wild" by anyone other than a mall cop or city tourist.
Read the rest at: » A Segway anniversary JIMROMENESKO.COM
I grew up in Franklin, and I had a segway for about a year before I went off to college. It was a childhood dream to get one and I think my dad traded something for it. My parents aren't the Wyndham Hills type by any means. Once I had one I realized that I couldn't really go anywhere with it, unless I put it in my car and took it to a real place. I could get it into my little car by myself, but it took a while (I'm a 5'2" female) so I didn't do it too often. I took lots of "lazy walks" with it on the sidewalks of Franklin that don't go anywhere. My senior picture with it was in a Goodstone ad. My dad eventually traded it for a lawn mower. What does that tell you about suburban life?
Now that I live on the East Side (about North and Prospect), I totally want my segway back. I would use it all the time now. It would be perfect for those slightly longer but still walking distance trips between 1/2 and 1 mile like UWM and Pick 'n Save.
Posted by: LH | December 02, 2011 at 09:06 PM
If the Segway could gain a foothold as a Zipcar-type shared device, we'd see them all over the place downtown.
My eyes would have popped out of my head if I would have happened upon you and your Segway here in Franklin ....
Posted by: John Michlig | December 04, 2011 at 11:56 AM
damn it is too pricey for a single passenger ride make this affordable to the masses then we will see a lot of these in the wild
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