Monday 3/14: Keep Golden Gate Park’s paths safe
In a little-publicized recent decision, the Recreation and Park Department decided to allow a private operator to conduct Segway tours on pedestrian paths in Golden Gate Park.
On Monday March 14, Supervisor Eric Mar will hold a hearing to re-examine this decision.
In 2003, Walk San Francisco won a campaign to ban Segways from sidewalks in San Francisco. Pedestrian paths should be no exception.
Walk San Francisco opposes allowing motorized vehicles on pedestrian paths.
Why the fuss? Segway riders are not pedestrians. They are users of motorized vehicles. A 3-year-old girl was hit and injured by a Segway on a Potrero Hill sidewalk, and the owner of the company recently died in a Segway crash. And a recent study found that most Segway injury collisions in Washington DC occurred in crashes by out-of-towners on tours. See the crash potential for yourself: YouTube
Please speak up if you are concerned about allowing Segways—motorized vehicles—on pedestrian paths:
- Come to the hearing on Monday March 14 and voice your concerns.
Monday March 14, at 10 am
Room 250 of City Hall
City Operations and Neighborhood Services committee of the Board of Supervisors - Email Supervisor Mar, Supervisor Elsbernd, and Supervisor Avalos and tell them that Segways should only occur on existing roads, not on pedestrian paths.
Other Segway tours use existing roads: why should the paths of Golden Gate Park be less safe than city streets?