Update: Councilmember Glickman's dissenting opinion added; other miscellaneous corrections.
The Los Gatos Town Council directed staff to draft an ordinance banning Segways on the Los Gatos Creek Trail at its bi-monthly meeting Monday night. Last October, the City of Campbell enacted a similar ban on the portion of the trail that runs through that city.
The Council received a number of letters from concerned citizens on both sides of the issue.
"We urge you to deny South Bay Segway the use of the Los Gatos section of the Creek Trail for its proposed tours," wrote Leonard Pacheco and Diane Roberts.
"If you do vote for it better make sure the town has no liability or good insurance," wrote Dennis McCarney, "because sooner or later there will be an accident."
Author Amy Tan wrote a detailed, three-page defense of the Segway. She owns one and uses it to run errands in Sausalito. She cited a personal experience of watching a disabled woman "dance" using a Segway, as well as several government reports.
Hans and Diane Ernst emphasized that Segways are motorized and that South Bay Tours is a commercial use of the public trail in urging the council to ban both motorized vehicles and commercial uses.
Alexander Ko, of the Bay Area Segway Enthusiasts Group, countered that Segways are "clean, quiet, maneuverable, and small."
Steve Wozniak wrote that he uses his Segway for errands, to explore other places, and to play polo. "My main point," he wrote, "is that many of us Segway gliders make very efficient use of resources in our community. A Segway is a lot less in the way than cars are."
In the end, the Segway supporters were less persuasive than the ardent trail users who wrote to reject the machines. There was no motion, because the ordinance has yet to be drafted.
Councilmember Glickman laid out a well-researched argument in favor of Segways on the Creek Trail, pointing out that bicycles and inline skates travel much faster than Segways, and that the trail can be used by commuters now that the Light Rail connects through Campbell. "I thought we were trying to encourage alternative means of transportation to get people out of their cars and off our congested roads," he said.
Town Attorney Orry Korb advised the council that Segways are defined, under California law, as pedestrians.
Although some councilmembers brought up counter-arguments--Diane McNutt, for example, wanted to make sure that the ordinance included a provision for Electric Personal Assistive Mobility Devices in the spirit of the Americans with Disabilities Act--the council, except Steve Glickman, wanted an anti-Segway ordinance drafted for their later approval."I would not like to see us take a reflexive anti-newfangled thing attitude," Councilmember Glickman said in rebuttal, "because I'd like this community to be perceived as being progressive in these matters."
Post to del.icio.us
Post to Reddit
