Segway into Disney

Segway into Disney

I'm categorically against the Segway scooter, that crazy gyroscopic upright personal transport, as a means of transportation, especially to be used around pedestrians. In the words of Gregg Easterbrook, getting hit by one of those things would be like getting tackled by an NFL linebacker at full speed. I don't trust people's focus on navigating it enough to feel at all comfortable with them zipping around me. Maybe I should... But I know the way people are in crowded and/or interesting places, and motor vehicles aren't good to add into the mix.

Regardless. Disney World employees use them; I saw them a lot around Epcot when I went last spring, and I'm pretty sure I saw one or two at the other parks. Disney, I also seem to recall, was one of the major buyers of the Segways when they were first introduced.

I am not certain if Disney's ban on patron usage of the scooters instead of wheelchairs is straight out hypocrisy. But I do know that this really doesn't say much about Disney's confidence in the product. Another sign of the tremendous flop the Segway was/is. I remember that in the expo portion of Epcot, a staff member was showing it off... and you could tell everyone gathered around was waiting for a chance to try it. No such luck. Why? Because. They're friggin' dangerous around groups of pedestrians.

So, in Disney's defense, if someone came up to the front gate in a golf cart (which staff do use inside the park) I probably wouldn't let them in either. Those complaining about their rights to the Segways use could just as well be saying, "Not letting me drive around Disney World in my pick-up truck makes me feel more crippled".