Boston City Council Votes to Limit Personal Use of Segways

Are Segways a problem in Boston? The Boston City Council addressed the issue in its weekly meeting Wednesday and unanimously approved new rules to restrict personal use of vehicles such as Segways.

The regulation creates a general prohibition of Segways for personal use, but provides a licensing structure for tour groups to continue usage through the Boston Police Department's Hackney Division.

Read the new ordinance here.

District 3 Councilor Maureen Feeney, chairwoman of the Committee on Government Relations, stressed the findings of a public hearing in March 2010 that investigated public safety concerns of Segways.

In other news at Wednesday's meeting:

• A grant of $2.4 million from the U.S. Department of Homeland Security's Public Safety Interoperable Communications was announced and will be used to integrate trunked radio networks operated by Boston and Cambridge, Massport, and the state into a regional network.
• District 2 City Councilor Bill Linehan's order for hearings on economic and residential development of Boston neighborhoods, in regard to the minimization of neighborhood parking, was referred to the Committee of Economic Development. 
• District 8 City Councilor Mike Ross weighed in on residential development in Mission Hill and on private companies changing their residential statuses from condos to rentals: "College students are moving in, which is what neighborhoods are arguing against. I'm glad to hear we are dealing with this issue."