Segways now sidewalk legal for D.C. disabled
By: Michael Neibauer
Examiner Staff Writer
September 23, 2009
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| Segways are increasingly popular among visitors on private tours. (Examiner) |
The District's disabled residents are free to ride their Segways on downtown sidewalks without fear of being ticketed by police, the D.C. Council decided.
City law prohibits Segways, deemed by the D.C. Code to be a "personal mobility device," on sidewalks within the Central Business District, bounded by 23rd Street NW to the west, Massachusetts Avenue to the north, Second Street NE to the east, and D Street to the south. The council on Tuesday adopted this caveat to the statute: "unless operated by a person with a disability."
The two-wheeled, self-balancing, motorized propulsion devices are increasingly popular among visitors on private tours. But for the disabled, Segways are "not a hobbyist toy, but rather a vital tool that helps them negotiate District streets and sidewalks," according to the emergency legislation offered by Ward 6 Councilman Tommy Wells.
The bill was inspired by the plight of Miles Groves, a Penn Quarter resident who was stopped by a police officer for operating his Segway on the sidewalk near the intersection of Sixth Street and Indiana Avenue NW. Groves, 56, suffers from chronic pain.
The Segway "gives me a degree of mobility that I wouldn't have otherwise," he said.
"I didn't know it was illegal," said Groves, president of the Downtown Neighborhood Association. "I was surprised when they stopped me and gave me a polite warning that I wasn't supposed to be on the sidewalk. The cars don't want you out on the street. They yell at you. They tailgate you."
D.C. does not require Segway registration. The universe of disabled riders is "very limited," Wells said, but the bill is important nonetheless.
Segways have become a "matter of great concern," said Ward 1 Councilman Jim Graham, and the city has "finally reached a point where police are ticketing these vehicles for operating on the sidewalks." While he voted for the resolution, Graham questioned how a police officer would distinguish between disabled and able-bodied Segway operators.
"Do we have to put stickers on them?" he asked.
Groves did. His Segway, he said, now features a sticker that says "disabled veteran on board."
Segway tourists are often seen two-wheeling the sidewalks near the White House. But Jack Louis, manager of City Segway Tours at Ninth and G streets, said he keeps his clients on the road.
"That is the law, you have to be in the streets," Louis said. "Obviously I don't think that's the safest place for Segways to be."
