Wednesday, February 8, 2006

Legalize Segway on Colorado bike paths

Colorado Senate Bill SB168 will legalize the use of 'Electric Personal Assistive Mobility Devices' (EPAMD) on sidewalks and paths. In addition, operation of EPAMDs are legalized on streets with a speed limit of 35 mph or less under this proposed legislation.

Permitting 'mobility devices' on streets is possibly a good idea, but I don't care for the provisions of this bill permitting Segways on sidewalks and paths. The bill does allow for local regulation of Segways on local streets, sidewalks and paths.

The part I really don't like about the bill is the very restrictive definition for EPAMD:
-- "EPAMD" OR "ELECTRIC PERSONAL ASSISTIVE MOBILITY DEVICE" MEANS A DEVICE THAT HAS TWO NONTANDEM WHEELS, USES 8 ELECTRIC PROPULSION, IS SELF-BALANCING, IS DESIGNED TO TRANSPORT 9 ONE PERSON, AND HAS A MAXIMUM DESIGN SPEED OF TWELVE AND 10 ONE-HALF MILES PER HOUR. --

Hmm, what is the only two-nontandem-wheel, self-balancing electric mobility device on the market? Talk about legislation that's custom-crafted for a single product. I'd favor a definition that's bit more open-ended, perhaps defining the powered vehicle in terms of size, speed, emissions, and power output.

More info about SB 168 is available from the Bicycle Colorado website.

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