2 ms·

The were two main problems with the launch of the Segway. First it was just too big and bulky for most sidewalks. And second it was way too expensive for a co

The were two main problems with the launch of the Segway. First it was just too big and bulky for most sidewalks. And second it was way too expensive for a consumer product. The first part might have been overcome by launching it in Japan where sidewalks are much wider and multi-use (pedestrians and bicycles) is the norm and expected "rules of the sidewalk" are already in place. The cost though would still have been hard to swallow.

ghaff 4y ago
Although my experience as a walker with bikes in Japan is that they'll try to navigate through a crowd of people that's almost too dense to walk through. And, while this may be what you mean by "rules of the sidewalk," I also found that I had to be very conscious of making changes of direction without checking behind me lest a bike on the sidewalk clipped me. (It's not like I'm going to randomly change direction in the US but I'm also not going to expect to be hit by a bicycle if I turn right.)