Segway's on Open Space trails? Now that would be funny.
Can you imagine anyone yielding to some jackass on a Segway on an Open Space trail? I think this would be a huge mistake if they ended up passing the bill... and the person who introduced it should be fired.
- Boulder residents are worried about a bill making its way through the state Legislature they say could allow a motorized two-wheeled vehicle onto the city's sidewalks and Open Space and Mountain Parks trails.
Sponsored by Sen. Deanna Hanna, D-Lakewood, Senate Bill 168 expands the state's legal definition of "pedestrian" to include "a device that has two non-tandem wheels, uses electric propulsion, is self-balancing, is designed to transport one person and has a maximum design speed of 12 1/2 miles per hour."
Only one vehicle answers that description: The Segway.
By putting the vehicle on equal footing with pedestrians, Hanna's bill would allow Segway riders to take their vehicles on sidewalks and anywhere else walkers are allowed, like the Pearl Street Mall and open space trails and bike paths.
Cities like Boulder still could prohibit devices on their sidewalks, but transit officials would have to buy and erect "official traffic control" devices all over the city to enforce the rule. And it would allow Segways to travel on bike paths and open space trails — something not allowed for other motorized vehicles.
The Boulder City Council voted in December to take a position opposing the measure, and the pedestrian-advocacy group Walk Boulder has been lobbying the issue furiously.
Kate Gardner, chairwoman of Walk Boulder, said she and other people in her group see Hanna's bill as the beginning of the slippery slope. If lawmakers pass a measure specifically allowing one motorized vehicle on sidewalks and paths this year, it could open the floodgates to other devices, she said.
"Motorized vehicles really change the environment on paths and trails," she said.
Hanna did not return a call seeking comment. Her bill passed the Senate Transportation Committee last week and will be considered by the full Senate this week. If approved, it would head to the House.
Rep. Jack Pommer, D-Boulder, said he doesn't think it makes sense to write legislation to deal with individual vehicles on a case-by-case basis. Pommer is working on a bill that would put together a committee of transportation experts to classify new vehicles as they hit the market, an approach he thinks would deliver better results.
"We really need to have a comprehensive rule, so we're not just carving out exemptions for individual brands," he said.
