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Segways in the National Parks: Do We Really Need Them?

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Coming to a park near you? Photo by sandxr via flickr.

Two Segway entrepreneurs have their sights on Yosemite and Sequoia national parks as the next frontier for these two-wheeled contraptions. Steve Steinberg and Darren Romar, who operate Segway of Oakland, want to offer fleets of these "human transporters" to the two parks.

"We want to expand rental operations into the U.S. National Park Service, and we're ready to take on bigger things like Yosemite," Mr. Steinberg said in a PR release. "Our goal is to work out partnerships where we supply Segway units to start your own turnkey operation, and support for when you are running the operation. We are already looking into a partnership with a concessionaire and we are excited about the Parks. We can only take on so many locations, but right now we're looking for good partnerships"

Of course, the rhetorical question is whether Yosemite and Sequoia and other national parks need Segways tooling around their roads? Another question is why the National Park Service would want to invite Segways into the parks?

It wasn't too long ago that former NPS Director Fran Mainella was touting the healthy benefits of recreation in the parks. It was back in June of 2006 when Ms. Mainella talked about the Park Service's efforts to "advance the physical and mental health of the American public by encouraging additional, appropriate physical activity during visits to national park units."

Riding a Segway around a park doesn't exactly seem terribly physical.

Beyond that, can anyone demonstrate a need to do away with the traditional ranger-led tour of a park? Or are we to assume that rangers will continue to lead tours, but only involving herds of Segwayians? Of course, the savvy Segway fleet owner could equip his units with "electronic rangers" and do away with the living and breathing ranger entirely.

Seriously, though, do we really need to add to the congestion that already exists in Yosemite Valley, where cars, hikers, joggers, cyclists and regular pedestrians already eat up most of the available ground space? Should the Park Service be advocating against walking and hiking? Should the agency be encouraging younger generations to avoid using their feet to explore the parks?

In their drive to "take on" the national parks, will Messieurs Steinberg and Romar lobby to see that Segways gain access to paved trails? And if that's accomplished, will they then outfit Segways with more rugged, knobby tires to conquer hiking trails?

Perhaps there are places in the national park system where Segways make sense, but I hope the Park Service doesn't believe Yosemite, Sequoia, Yellowstone, Grand Canyon and the other 54 "national parks" are among them.

Comments

Easy Bob! No offense, just trying to make a point. Bob, just take a hard look at your local supermarkets, the shopping malls and parks...most Americans are horribly over weight...and out of shape! Why? I just assume for two basic reasons: diet and lack of a good exercise regimen. We have many allied medical professionals out there that warn us of a pending epidemic in the future of young folks that will be most prone to heart disease, diabetes and crippling orthopedic problems from being severely over weight. We need a full comprehensive physical fittest program on the national level to get this point across and put into place. Maybe we can start at the National Parks level and start breathing in some clean air and take in some good rugged hikes.
In your case, I have compassion for your physical demise and I wish you well. It's that I'm really worried and deeply concerned about the lazy younger generation. Shouldn't we all?


My previous response was not cleared by the moderators for some reason so I will try again.

If you are asserting that Segway riders have worse weight/health issues than people who ride in cars, motorcycles, RVs, etc., then I'd be interested in any evidence that you have to that effect. If not, what is the relevance of your observation in a discussion about whether one (and only one) of those conveyances should be banned in national parks?

In other words, why is the poor health of the entire population justification for banning one segment of that population and not the others?


I think all this hatred towards the Segway is true ignorance. Finally an invention has come along that not only makes life easier, cheaper, and safer, but it asks nothing of us, and here you are rejecting it. The Segway is like that "nice guy who finishes last".

Let me make some points of ignorance:

1. "It's for Lazy People." FALSE: Standing, leaning back and forth, and keeping balance for 15 minutes+ threw changes in terrain requires a lot more energy then sitting in a car. Maybe not as much as walking, but would you really walk 2 miles for a gallon of milk, or are you going to drive? That's right you lazy polluting jerks. You're gonna jump in your car.

2. "It's for Rich people" FALSE: Since when is a $5000 scooter (that requires no further costs, no fuel, registration, insurance, license, or mechanical maintenance) for "rich" people, yet a $12,000 motorcycles are for the average blue collar American?

In conclusion, it is in my personal experience that owning and driving a car is many times more stressful, more dangerous, more extravagant, unnecessary, and more expensive for the average American , and we don't even realize it. It's like a dimension we can't see. I ride a Segway (3 years now) and rent cars when I need one. I spend less money then EVERYONE I know on transportation and I'm always driving something nice.

DISCLAIMER: I work and live with in 4 miles of each other. However, I refused to get work outside of a 5 mile radius from where I live.


i been walkin trails since i could walk!!! it crazy that you would want to roll instead of useing your good ole legs
leave your stuff inside and hit the trail running feet first!!


I still call it a fat man's toy. If you can't walk your dead!


Walking is beter for you, of course.

It seems that you'd have to watch the trail constantly rather than lifting your head and eyes to view the sights around you on a bike trail. No?

Except for those with bad knees, back, etc., why? What's the point of it?


"It seems that you'd have to watch the trail constantly rather than lifting your head and eyes to view the sights around you on a bike trail. No?"

No. Why don't you try it before forming an opinion? Do you constantly watch the ground when riding a bike?

"What's the point of it?"

It is fun, inexpensive to operate, consumes no fossil fuel, produces no fumes, is quieter and safer than a bicycle, and requires no maintenance. Why not?


Well this "lardass" also happens to be diagnosed with ms.... So does my "lardass" status discount my disabled status????? Rude and tactless people like yourself make going out in public with obvious disabilities that much harder... You look and see a "lardass" and not a person who has been fighting ms and fatigue that continues to add to weight problems... Guess fat people should just stay at home or out of the national parks at least right? Traveling the national parks is a passion of mine and this disease has slowed me down... Segways would be rather helpful along with any other scooter/mobility device that could handle the long distances and cover rugged terrain.


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