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0 pointsjandrese3y ago0 comments

Segway failed for one reason and one reason only: It was priced way outside of what people would accept for a scooter. Beyond the fact that they were simply too expensive for people to buy, it also gave them a reputation as a bougie display of wealth, which makes people hate them even more.

All of these pay as you go scooter services solved the cost problem and are everywhere now, in exactly the same niche that Dean Kamen envisioned, minus cities redesigning themselves around scooters of course.

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9 comments · 3 top-level

barnabee3y ago· 4 in thread

Some cities are definitely and quite rapidly redesigning themselves around bikes/ebikes/scooters et al. (aka [electric] micromobility).

random3143y ago

Any example cities?

bjelkeman-again3y ago

Many European cities are expanding their bike paths quite extensively. As an example, this page in Swedish, published by the local government of Stockholm, has a map of the bike path network.

https://cykla.stockholm/cykelnat/

barnabee3y ago

Things happening or happened in London:

- Massive and sustained increase in cycle routes (also applicable to ebikes, scooters, etc.), especially fully segregated from traffic and pedestrians, and including redesigning some major junctions and transport hubs

- Actual changes in law to allow e-scooters (initially via hire schemes) as well as police generally turning a blind eye to technically illegal personal e-scooters/and electric skateboards

- Conversion of parking spaces to cycle racks, resident's cycle storage huts, and ebike/scooter drop-off points

- City run cycle hire services and docking infrastructure as well as widespread app based services

- Closing many residential streets to through traffic, allowing only local traffic (almost none) and pedestrians, cycles, scooters, skateboards (seriously, this is amazing, streets are super quiet and I can get around my local area by bike or electric scooter/skateboard quickly and incredibly safely)

- Requiring cycle parking and storage in new residential and office developments

- Increasing of congestions/pollution charging

And when I travel around Europe, though I don't know as many of the specifics, it feels likely many cities are at least as advanced as London, quite likely moreso in many cases. The US… not so much.

bluGill3y ago

Even little des moines is greatly building bike infrastructure. Though i wouldn't call this designing around bikes. Bikes are clearly for going bar hopping on Saturday, not for any serious business dealings. Though the side effect of all these paths is a few die hards do real business on bikes.

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amalcon3y ago· 2 in thread

For what it's worth, the "cities redesigning themselves around them" thing actually came from a news report about some guy's book about Kamen. As far as I can tell he never said that himself.

jandreseOP3y ago

Maybe not, but it certainly sounds plausible given the level of hype Mr. Kamen had around the project prior to its announcement. I remember it being a total media circus.

One thing I had completely forgotten is how mediocre the specs were on the first generation Segways. Top speed of 17mph, but realistically more like 12. Range: up to 17 miles. Charge time: 10 hours. MSRP: $4,500.

This is also one of those rare consumer products with dubious distinction of killing its own creator.

xsmasher3y ago

Just so no one is confused - inventor Dean Kamen is still alive, but CEO Jimi Heselden who bought Segway in 2009 died.

ls153y ago

> It was priced way outside of what people would accept for a scooter.

Exactly. When I first saw them I thought that they look like fun. When I saw the prices, I decided that the fun can wait.

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