UPDATE 9.27.03: All Segway motorized scooters have been voluntarily recalled due to a malfunction that can cause riders to fall off when the battery is low. A software upgrade is expected to solve the problem. Until they are fixed, Atlanta ambassadors will not use the Segway scooters to travel around Downtown Atlanta. For more information about the recall, refer to the Segway site. What follows is the original article about the Segway scooters, when they were first introduced to Atlanta.
No, Martians have not invaded Atlanta. Just their vehicles. Unless you have been living in a cave, you probably have heard about the invention that is supposed to change the world, at least according to the media hype. The subject of widespread Internet rumor, the invention was nicknamed Ginger and the most popular myth was that it was a flying machine. When famed inventor Dean Kamen finally unveiled his creation, it understandably could not live up to the speculation. Ginger actually goes by the less exotic, more practical moniker of Segway Human Transporter. As the name suggests, the Segway is a personal transport machine, somewhat resembling a scooter, but with state of the art technology. Atlanta has been chosen by Kamen as the first major city to utilize his invention. What impact will it have on Atlanta?
At first glance, Atlanta may seem an odd choice to debut an alternative form of transportation. Atlantans rely very heavily on their automobiles, and due to the explosive growth in the past twenty years, the commute continues to get longer and more aggravating for Atlanta area residents.However, due to the inefficiency of the public transit system, most Atlantans are resigned to spending hours behind the wheel. The idea that Atlantans, after watching bureaucrats tool around on loaner Segways for a few months, might trade in their cars for human transporters, is pretty ridiculous. But after perusing the <a href="/gi/dynamic/offsite.htm?site=http://www.segway.com/">Segway Web site</a>, it appears that Kamen's plans for the Segway are much more grounded and realistic than the media has presented in their hysterical coverage.