Possible ban of Segways in Capemay N.J.

[OpticianJW]

Unfortunately, Cape May is planning to basically ban Segways from one of the best tour and most Segway friendly areas in the state. After a request to the town council to operate tours in Cape May they decided to put an ordinance that would prohibit their use on all streets and sidewalks. Segway recommends that tour operators be proactive and ask for permission before starting tours. I am not sure that is the best way to go. It seems to get council members and local officials unnecessarily worried. In towns that started operating without town approval they seemed to have had little or no complications and are still operating. If anyone is interested in attending the second reading in Cape May, It will be held on December 21st. I hope if enough people come to the meeting maybe they will put off a decision until spring. Hopefully by that time we can convince them not to ban them from the sidewalks. At the least, I hope they will allow owners that vacation there to operate them on the streets or sidewalks. I have demonstrated the Segway to the chief of police and the city manager but seem to have made no impact on them so far.
Help keep the Segways alive.....
Joel

[Florida Ever-Glides]

If I would have followed 'conventional wisdom' in starting my tour business, it probably would NOT have gotten off the ground either. I didn't try to fix something that wasn't broken. Today, the city is one of the most segway friendly in the country.

I never did a prelimenary 'demo'. Take them on a 'tour', show how safe, educational, and fun it is. Make the tour just as important for the city as it is for you. If you present it as a 'potential unsafe enterprise' with no benefit to the community, your days are numbered...

Tom Jacobson
http://www.floridaever-glides.com

[Stan671]

Joel, give me the details of the meeting (time and place) and I will see if there is any way I can attend. I can also see about contacting local SEG America members.

Stan Dobrowski

[OpticianJW]

If you are interseted in attending this meeting it will be held at 7:00 PM in Cape May. The address for the court house is 643 Washington St., Cape May. The homes are beautiful this time of year with Christmas lights so regarless you should enjoy yourself.
Hope we can get a decent turnout. Anyone or everyone will be able to speak if he or she desires.

[SegwayPete]

Joel
Pete here!
What a bunch of Bozo's!
I agree with Tom... You have to educate them!
Go armed with hard data! Have a list of successful touring operations that are up and running with no problems. You indicated to me at Segfest that you were considering bare rentals. Don't present this as part of your plan. Push the fact that Seg's will enhance the tourist profile of the area. If everybody thought like these ying yangs we'd still be doing the horse and buggy thing!!! Finally suggest to them a trial period of 60 days with a review process at the end. If you get this then do exit interviews with your riders. Data Data Data.
How can they ban something they know nothing about!!!
Cheers and good luck!
Pete

[Itsi Atkins]

Joel, best of luck. Dec 21st is a hard date to attend as I will be in Florida. I feel the issue is fear of legal actions by the local towns and poor past history of summer resorts having legal torts by tourist. I ran a business in OC MD on the boardwalk and this was the thinking of most of the locals.
Hope it works out, let me know if I can help.

[segwaybytheshore]

I an there. No questions ask

[segwaybytheshore]

THE TIME HAS BEAN CHANGED TO 5:00 PM FROM 7:00
SO IT IS NOW AT 5:00

[snksegway]

Yes, Cape May has limited the use of Segways, but it’s far from a done deal. They will reconsider their decision later on this year. As a life-long resident of the area, you learn how to approach the city fathers, especially with something new. You don’t criticize them for decisions made. You learn if you work with them, you usually can make changes in your favor. It’s like the old adage of attracting more bees with honey. New things take time in this area. After all, it’s the Victorian Capital! We first approached them back in July and will persevere until things work out. After the meeting we had the opportunity to talk to several people, including one of the council members. They were very encouraging and gave us some great suggestions on how to better introduce the Segways into the community. The unknown always gets questioned until it's known!

Yes, we will offer guided tours, but have patience too. They are also several other municipalities that are open to the idea and we’re expecting great things. It pays to do your homework!

[Stan671]

Here is the summary from Segway LLC's Matt Dailida. Matt was intending to attend the meeting, but he flight got screwed up and he could not make it.

quote:I did hear that the news out of Cape May was not entirely positive. Segway HTs are relegated to bike paths/lanes and cannot be rented under any scenario. The Council stated that they were willing to review the decision next year. ... it could have been worse - a total ban.

Stan Dobrowski

[SegwayBill]

The Birding In Cape May is fantasic.
This spring a group of owner should spend a day In Cape May enjoying the birds and wonderful town. This would be a chance for the locals to see how well Segways intergrate in their community.
As an avid Bird watcher I would be glad to point out the feather finery.

Bill