Boston Gliders at 73 Commercial St. has applied for a 7-day, C.V. license (food, non-alcoholic drinks). The licensing hearing is scheduled for Wednesday, January 27 at 10:00 am in City Hall Room 809A (see details below).
Boston Gliders is the Segway Adventures & Rentals store that does segway tours through Boston. Their website is: www.bostongliders.com.
This issue will also be discussed at NEWRA’s ZLC meeting on Tuesday, January 26, 7:00 pm at the Pilot House, 2 Atlantic Ave (click for more information).
Related post:
Segway Hearing Requested by Councilor LaMattina
The Segway is a vehicle, it weighs over 60 pounds and can travel at over 12 miles per hour. It is unsafe to make pedestrians including children, parents with baby carriages, disabled persons and the elderly share scarce sidewalk space with any motorized vehicle – whether it is a Segway or a Vespa or a motorcycle.
They would be unsafe even with experienced drivers, but to put tourists on them who are not familiar with the neighborhood or the vehicle is ridiculous. This particular operation is in a residential neighborhood and in the same building as a daycare. It is only a matter of time before there is an accident.
Segways belong in the street with cars, motorcycles and other motorized vehicles. What ever became of the proposed City Council hearing on this subject? Councilor LaMattina, we are counting on you to keep North End/Waterfront sidewalks safe places for walking, chatting with neighbors, toddling children, baby carriages, dog-walking and sight-seeing.
Oh great! Now we can have people who do not know how to use Segways zipping along on the narrow, crowded NE SIDEWALKS while they eat & drink. The owner must not be making enough money so he needs a CV license. If people who take the tour need a drink or snack after they finish and can’t wait until they WALK somewhere, let them go to the Golden Goose which is right down the St or to the Starbucks in the Marriott or the carts in CC Park.
Is it even LEGAL for this business to cause a public safety hazard by using the sidewalks?
I would have agree with both of the respondents above. The Segway tours I witnessed last year were at BEST a nuisance and more often than not, posed a danger to both pedestrian and auto traffic. Neither North End streets nor sidewalks are set-up to accommodate a motorized tour group full of individuals that are still learning how to use their rented vehicles. Hopefully the City Council eventually understands this too.