SEGWAY IS THE WAY TO GO
ParkSmart Ambassadors Segway on the Streets The ParkSmart Ambassadors are Segwaying around downtown Toledo, assisting visitors, monitoring parking meters and garages in a little different fashion. Three ambassadors, Mike Evans, James Taylor and Arnold Theobolds and ParkSmart assistant manager Brad Odenweler have hopped aboard the newest transportation system as part of a local pilot program sponsored by The University of Toledo and the Toledo-Lucas County Port Authority. Mark Vonderembse, PhD, director of Intermodel Transportation Department at The University of Toledo, said the university is very interested in assessing the effectiveness of the new transportation device. “The ParkSmart Ambassadors are perfect for this pilot study. They have a lot of ground to cover in their jobs and they are certainly highly visible,” he said. “Toledo is a transportation center,” explained Clayton Johnston, DTPA executive director. “It just makes sense for the city to be one of the first communities to try out the Segway Human Transporter. Our ParkSmart Ambassadors are on the streets of downtown Toledo everyday to make sure parking is convenient and easy for the short term at meters and for those who need more time in the parking garages,” he added. “The Segway allows our ambassadors to be more efficient by covering more territory in a shorter amount of time,” added DTPA Deputy Director Joanne Smith. The Segway Human Transporter is the creation of inventor and entrepreneur Dean Kamen to provide a solution to short-distance travel. It is a self-balancing, electric-powered transporter designed to enhance the productivity of people by increasing the distance they can travel and the amount they can carry. The Segway HT is self-balancing because of its solid-state gyroscopes, tilt sensors, high-speed microprocessors and electric motors performing to keep it balanced. Dan Glidewell, implementation services director for the new transportation system said the Segway HT’s systems senses its rider’s center of gravity, instantaneously assesses the information and makes adjustments a hundred times a second. He said there is no accelerator and no brakes. Riders lean forward to move forward, lean back to move back, and straighten up to stop. Article and photo appeared in Downtown Advantage.
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