Mr. Mayor and Peachtree City Council members, I am asking that before you approve Segways on our pathway system, please do your homework regarding their safety.

I know that one of the council members did his research (as he stated at the last council meeting) by taking a test ride recently on a Segway. Based upon that “research” he seemed satisfied that his homework was complete enough to support the approval of Segways on our pathway system.

Another member stated he would not suggest helmets be required due to “too much government regulations.”

As I recall during the demonstration from the local dealer, he stated something to the effect that “they back up on impact.”

Remember how he stood in front of the device and it bounced back? He was indicating how it’s impossible for them to harm anyone/anything on impact.

I would suggest you view some of the damaged Segways in [some] website links. These damages hardly substantiate his claims.

As I recall, [Councilwoman] Cyndi [Plunkett] had some comments [that] our pathway system does have some imperfections. Similar perhaps to what is documented below.

This issue almost seems somewhat similar to our local developers. Let’s buy land (open a dealership) then strong-arm the city to bend rules to accommodate our failure to do proper due diligence up front.

How many of you would open shop in a community before knowing if your product would/could be used in that locale? I mean, seriously, come on! What do these people take us for here in Peachtree City?

I would ask you to please do your homework. Do some basic research rather than simply “visiting the store and taking a ride on one”!

Let’s not have someone killed (hopefully not one of your family members or close friends) in our community because you didn’t do proper due diligence.

There may be a practical place for Segways, but I’m concerned that it may not be on our city pathway system.

Thank you for serving our community.

Phillip Jones

Peachtree City, Ga.

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