View Full Version : took the car in today...
today, i took the car to work.
-30 min.
-maybe used 1/2 gallon of gas ($1 or so).
-paid $7 for parking.
-walked 5 blocks with 2 bags to the office.
-went home, 40 min (traffic).
yesterday i took the ht to work:
-25 min, cost zero (i supposed it cost a few cents to recharge).
-carried my laptops, etc on the segway.
-rolled her right in to the office.
-went home, 25 min, actually 30 someone wanted to chat with me about the ht on the way home.
a few months ago i walked to work, 70 minutes, no load carrying.
those are my experiences, feel free to comment or whatever-- i have one now, so i thought i'd share things like this.
i'm also tweaking my route with a pocket pc and a gps, i think i can get to work a little quicker on the ht.
so far so good.
cheers,
pt
http://www.bookofseg.com
axiotek
12-09-2002, 06:46 PM
thanks pt
CyclistBuddy
12-09-2002, 07:03 PM
{saying with humor}
Feel like a yuppie? Riding the newest high price gizmo using two other new high price gizmos.
But congrads on your use of the HT. Looks like a start in the right direction.
pt what is the distance to your work place?
quote:Originally posted by CyclistBuddy
{saying with humor}Feel like a yuppie? Riding the newest high price gizmo using two other new high price gizmos. But congrads on your use of the HT. Looks like a start in the right direction.
the dell pocket pc was $199, i'm all about value, and i'm frugal...the pharos cf slot gps, i bought about 2 years ago.
cheers,
pt
http://www.bookofseg.com
quote:Originally posted by Lawrence
pt what is the distance to your work place?
3.1 to 3.5 miles, depends on the way(s) i go.
plus, i tackle the largest hill in seattle (well, one of them) the queen anne hill, most bike folks need to walk their bikes up. some cars can't even make it.
cheers,
pt
http://www.bookofseg.com
quote:3.1 to 3.5 miles, depends on the way(s) i go.
That means that u manage about 8 mph. with your car? Or perhaps u spend most of the time looking for parking space and getting to and from your car?
hodgepoj
12-09-2002, 08:37 PM
quote:Originally posted by pt
The distance to my work place is 3.1 to 3.5 miles, depending on the way I go. Plus, I tackle one of the largest hills in Seattle, the Queen Anne hill. Most bike folks need to walk their bikes up. Some cars can't even make it.
Do you go on the street? If so, do you stay in your lane and let cars back up behind you?
Do you go on the sidewalk? If so, is it difficult to dodge (go around) slower pedestrians?
Do you go on a bike path? If so, how much distance do you add to the trip in order to stay on the path?
Dr. Paul O. Johnson
Senior Exhibit Developer
The Science Place
Dallas, Texas 75210
quote:Originally posted by LawrenceThat means that u manage about 8 mph. with your car? Or perhaps u spend most of the time looking for parking space and getting to and from your car?
from home to inside office with the car it takes time for things as you mentioned, parking space pay the $7, walk 5 blocks to office. sit in traffic on freemont bridge, stuff like that. if i leave early or go in late, i can shave that down, but still need to pay the same in parking / gas of course.
cheers,
pt
http://www.bookofseg.com
quote:Originally posted by hodgepojDo you go on the street? If so, do you stay in your lane and let cars back up behind you?
i go on some streets that are parallel with queen anne (one of the main roads) there are never any cars on them, maybe 1 or 2. if a car does drive by there's ample room, they don't even nned to go around or get "backed up".
quote:Originally posted by hodgepojDo you go on the sidewalk? If so, is it difficult to dodge (go around) slower pedestrians?
i got on the sidewalk for some areas, there haven't been many people on them and i do avoid areas with lots of ople (that's my personal choice) if there are i don't "dodge" or "go around" i'll wait or follow fairly far behind.
quote:Originally posted by hodgepojDo you go on a bike path? If so, how much distance do you add to the trip in order to stay on the path?
nope, don't take a bike path.
i'm making a camera mount and will record my commute shortly, i think that would be quite a bit of fun to see a segway ht view.
cheers,
pt
http://www.bookofseg.com
BruceWright
12-10-2002, 12:27 AM
Timed my car route today. On the way home, with far worse than usual traffic, I made it in 30 minutes in the car, averaging 12 miles per hour on the freeway. The freeway is the most direct route to my work, the surface-street route is an extra .5 miles.
Segway won't save me any time in my commute :-(
bicycledriver
12-10-2002, 05:55 PM
quote:Originally posted by pt
i go on some streets that are parallel with queen anne (one of the main roads) there are never any cars on them, maybe 1 or 2. if a car does drive by there's ample room, they don't even nned to go around or get "backed up".
I've visited Seattle a couple of times; it is a very pleasant place for walking and cycling, and as you seem to have discovered, Segwaying. The redundant system of parallel streets provides lots of alternative routes for escaping bottlenecks or for enjoying a more leisurely trip with less traffic. The disadvantage of some of the low-traffic routes is that there are more stop signs/lack of priority over cross traffic or they don't continue for as long a distance.
I happen to be comfortable cycling on roads like Queen Anne when I want to get somewhere more quickly. I think I would be comfortable doing it on a Segway as well. If I lived there I would certainly use a bike with a triple chain ring, since Queen Anne is certainly a monster to bike uphill. But the side streets are more pleasant in terms of traffic noise, and I might choose those routes just to enjoy the fantastic Victorian and Craftsman architecture. I stayed in the Queen Anne area for a short time visiting friends; you are lucky to live there!
PT, may I ask why you prefer to use the roadway on those side streets as opposed to sidewalks?
Regards,
Steve Goodridge
quote:Originally posted by bicycledriverI've visited Seattle a couple of times; it is a very pleasant place for walking and cycling, and as you seem to have discovered, Segwaying. The redundant system of parallel streets provides lots of alternative routes for escaping bottlenecks or for enjoying a more leisurely trip with less traffic. The disadvantage of some of the low-traffic routes is that there are more stop signs/lack of priority over cross traffic or they don't continue for as long a distance.
well saidm and also during the week after 9am, there's never a car or person in sight on these streets, ghost town.
quote:Originally posted by bicycledriverI happen to be comfortable cycling on roads like Queen Anne when I want to get somewhere more quickly. I think I would be comfortable doing it on a Segway as well. If I lived there I would certainly use a bike with a triple chain ring, since Queen Anne is certainly a monster to bike uphill. But the side streets are more pleasant in terms of traffic noise, and I might choose those routes just to enjoy the fantastic Victorian and Craftsman architecture. I stayed in the Queen Anne area for a short time visiting friends; you are lucky to live there!
i take a slightly different side street per day now, i'm enjoying as you mentioned, the amazing houses and scenery. if you're ever here again, feel free to drop me a note.
quote:Originally posted by bicycledriverPT, may I ask why you prefer to use the roadway on those side streets as opposed to sidewalks?
couple reasons, both personal choices. on the side streets and the sidewalks on the sidestreets i can have a slightly more brisk pace. taking the sidewalks on main areas means lots of stopping and talking to folks (which i'm happy to do always) but some days, i really just need to get to work :-]
depending on my mood i'll take many different ways, so i can't really tell which one i prefer yet, i'm really enjoying it all.
cheers,
pt
http://www.bookofseg.com
bicycledriver
12-10-2002, 06:25 PM
pt,
You've given us some great examples of relative travel times of Segway versus automobile travel including the delay of automobile parking in a dense urban setting. Since you have the opportunity to experiment, I think it might be interesting to find out what your relative commute times would be:
(1) Using the Segway only on the sidewalk and not on the roadway
(2) Commuting by bicycle on the roadway along your favorite Segway route
This would help us compare the advantages and disadvantages of roadway/sidewalk use and bike versus Segway use. You could also report important things like relative difficulty riding up a particular hill by bike versus by Segway. I suppose you'll want to use a mountain bike for those hills!
One more question: Is your evening Segway commute after dark?
Regards,
Steve Goodridge
quote:Originally posted by bicycledriver(1) Using the Segway only on the sidewalk and not on the roadway
i don't think it would make sense to only do one type of commute since that's not realistic for me, to be a purist, but i'll try my best. my estimate would be, using the sidewalks might add a few minutes, in seattle i can take the roads, so when i'm on open stretch of one of the roads i take i'd always opt for that provided it met my conditions and made sense.
quote:Originally posted by bicycledriver(2) Commuting by bicycle on the roadway along your favorite Segway route
i can't get up the queen anne hill with my load(s) and it wouldn't make sense for my job. i need to dress a little "up" and coming in all sweaty would be a no-no for me (and the poor folks who have to work with me). many people bike, and i think we're all doing a great job lessening the car population.
quote:Originally posted by bicycledriverThis would help us compare the advantages and disadvantages of roadway/sidewalk use and bike versus Segway use. You could also report important things like relative difficulty riding up a particular hill by bike versus by Segway. I suppose you'll want to use a mountain bike for those hills!
we no longer have bikes, so i'd need to go out and get a good one which isn't something i plan to do now :-]
that said, i've tried to do my commute with a bike in the past when we had them, and it never worked out well for me for all the reasons i mentioned before, if i did i would have been doing that (but i'd still consider a segway too). i'm really happy with my choice and i think it would cause more harm than good to pit segway vs. bike since it could become a little religious. the impulse for many people could be "he's saying a segway is better than a bike" if the results for me were wrongly applied to others and visa-versa. i'd rather convey my travel needs, why the segway makes sense and always encourage people to use bikes, segways, whatever works best for their scenario.
at the end of the day, if one is motivated enough, just about anything could be the best solution.
quote:Originally posted by bicycledriverOne more question: Is your evening Segway commute after dark?
nope, i like to get home before dark as a general rule (cars, buses, or even segways :-] ).
cheers,
pt
http://www.bookofseg.com
bicycledriver
12-10-2002, 07:09 PM
quote:Originally posted by pt
that said, i've tried to do my commute with a bike in the past when we had them, and it never worked out well for me for all the reasons i mentioned before, if i did i would have been doing that (but i'd still consider a segway too). i'm really happy with my choice and i think it would cause more harm than good to pit segway vs. bike since it could become a little religious. the impulse for many people could be "he's saying a segway is better than a bike" if the results for me were wrongly applied to others and visa-versa. i'd rather convey my travel needs, why the segway makes sense and always encourage people to use bikes, segways, whatever works best for their scenario.
Good point; The main reason I bike to work as often as I do (8 miles each way) in the summer heat of North Carolina is because my office building has a shower facility and locker room downstairs next to the fitness facility. Without that I would have to clean up with alcohol wipes or a washcloth in the bathroom. I like cycling for exercise, so the cleanup time for a commute is time I am willing to spend - but not everybody feels that way.
Winter cycling makes it easier to avoid sweating, but one has to be careful to balance the layers of clothing.
I wonder how an electric bicycle would do on those hills, compared to the Segway. That might eliminate some of the sweating....
quote:
nope, i like to get home before dark as a general rule (cars, buses, or even segways :-] ).
Wow, it's only 5:00 and its dark here now. I wish I had your schedule!
Steve Goodridge (Who celebrates a diverse transportation marketplace)
quote:Originally posted by bicycledriverGood point; The main reason I bike to work as often as I do (8 miles each way) in the summer heat of North Carolina is because my office building has a shower facility and locker room downstairs next to the fitness facility. Without that I would have to clean up with alcohol wipes or a washcloth in the bathroom. I like cycling for exercise, so the cleanup time for a commute is time I am willing to spend - but not everybody feels that way. Winter cycling makes it easier to avoid sweating, but one has to be careful to balance the layers of clothing.
yah, i take 2 showers a day as it is, 3 would make me all pruny, hehe.
quote:Originally posted by bicycledriverI wonder how an electric bicycle would do on those hills, compared to the Segway. That might eliminate some of the sweating....
i'm willing to bet $1 there isn't an electric bike that could get up that hill without a pedal assist. but i'll pop by the bike shop and see what they say this week.
quote:Originally posted by bicycledriverWow, it's only 5:00 and its dark here now. I wish I had your schedule!
careful what you wish for, here's my day: at work around 9:30am, go home around 5pm-ish, work till 2-3am (second shift one could say).
cheers,
pt
http://www.bookofseg.com
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