The following message was sent to the President of the North End/Waterfront Neighborhood Council (NEWNC), Stephen Passacantilli, by a representative of Segway Inc. regarding recent neighborhood and city meetings for Segway tour operator, Boston Gliders. It is posted here with permission.
Dear Mr. Passacantilli,
I represent Segway Inc., located in Bedford, N.H. Segway Inc. is the developer and manufacturer of the Segway PT. The company has been following the recent reports of a North End tour operator who utilizes the Segway product. First and foremost, Segway Inc. would like to make one thing perfectly clear: Alan Danley is not an employee nor representative of Segway Inc. and his business, Boston Gliders, is not an authorized Segway dealer nor an authorized Segway guided tour operator.
We understand that the Boston City Council, specifically the Committee on City, Neighborhood Services & Veterans Affairs, will hold a hearing on March 23 to begin discussions on whether Segway PTs should be regulated under Boston Municipal Law. Segway Inc. is supportive of these discussions and will participate in the hearing. We want to hear from both the City Councilors and neighborhood associations, such as the NEWNC, and work to address any issues. It’s our belief that up until Mr. Danley’s irresponsible tour operation, few if any issues regarding Segway use existed in Boston. That said, we do believe that it should be properly regulated so that there is clarity on who, how, when and where it can be used. In fact, since 2002 we have been urging the Commonwealth to pass legislation that would do just that, as have 44 other states. We believe if such a law were in place, Segway operation in Boston would be much more clear and practices like Mr. Danley’s would not be present.
Segway Inc. has long committed itself to not only manufacturing a safe transportation product, but also ensuring that it is properly used. We have over 70 authorized Segway dealers within the United States (including one located in Cambridge) and over 40 authorized Segway guided tour operators throughout the country. These individuals must not only adhere to our high-degree of safety but also work with the community when issues arise. They are in essence the local face of Segway. Needless to say, Mr. Danley is representative of that philosophy and we are very disappointed that he has become the face of Segway in the North End, in Boston. We hope to work to change that in the coming days.
We believe there is a place for Segway PTs in the City of Boston and we hope to work to that end with the City Council and groups such as the NEWNC.
I appreciate your time and look forward to an opportunity to meet with you in the coming weeks.
Sincerely,
Matt Dailida (on behalf of Segway Inc.)
Green Hill Advisors, LLC
mjd@greenhilladvisors.com
(617)797-5984
Related posts:
Segway Tour Store Denied C.V. License
City Council Hearing on March 23rd
NEWNC Opposes Segway Tours C.V. License
NEWRA’s February 2010 Meeting Highlights
Very interesting!
The funny part is there still is no issue there is just some people who enjoy complaigning! What is a joke is that Matt could barely answer a question the other day at the hearing! More importantly is to be an authorized tour company you have to be a dealer! Most dealers as you can see since by his letter he states 70 and only 40 offer tours states the facts that most dealers dont bother.. Also dealers provide tours of 8 people where Boston Gliders offers tours of 6.. Once again let remind everyone 8 THOUSAND people tour’d and no safety issues!
Take that to the bank..