I just read on Lindsay’s blog that she spotted a group of people on Segways in Hamra, so I Googled it a little and was surprised to find that we already have a Segway dealer here in Beirut, in addition to two companies offering Segway tours in Beirut and Byblos.
But before we get excited about it, how good are the roads in Beirut for a Segway? I personally can’t think of another good place to drive it except in the downtown, I mean some potholes around here are large enough to make a Segway easily disappear!
Out of subject: Wazawiz will definitely figure out a way to do a wheelie with this thing!
I saw a flyer around two months ago and wondered the same thing. I’d be scared to go around Beirut on one :s
Ideally Monot street, Hamra street and Gemmayzeh should be pedestrian only like from 5PM-2AM or something!! I wonder though how comfortable those things would be cause the roads aren’t flat.. They’re made of those big pebbles thing in Hamra, and those squares in Monot…
I don’t think they belong on the roads ANYWHERE. The group I saw downtown was riding right in the middle of the street cutting off cars and generally being dangerous. We have enough to worry about on the roads with drivers and scooters. I’d say the Corniche is the best bet except as a frequent runner on the Corniche I can see getting run over by one of those things. Basically, I hate the idea of Segways in Beirut!
@Tarek
You’re right, same applies to the the old souk and some of the streets in Jbeil, they’re all made of big pebbles.
@Lindsay_NYC
Then let’s hope it’ll never become as affordable as a scooter, else you’ll see lot of people on Segways zigzagging in the streets!
@Tarek
That would be brilliant to have Gemmayze and Hamra pedestrian in those hours. Better for traffic : )
We just need to adapt to these new means of transportation – tourist transportation. Their use should be restricted to specific areas, like major cities. They just need to be regulated. All major cities suffer from traffic. I’ve been to NYC, Berling, Paris, Madrid and many others. Still, you see segways everywhere, or pedestrians. For example, Madrid is a whole pedestrian city, segways and bicycles are rented all over Berlin. We are just not adapted to these, but a small step, such as respecting traffic light, ensures that both segway-ans and drivers are safe.