Gadgets help students roll out

"Don't forget, you need to lean back to stop," sophomore Steven Waters called to a student who was taking a spin on his Segway.

The two-wheeled, self-balancing transportation device is one of a few alternative transit modes that are catching on for campus commuters.

"I've had about 300 people on it and haven't had any casualties yet," Waters said.

The desire for a shortened commute has spurred a few transportation pioneers to opt for Segways, scooters and skateboards instead of the traditional walk or bus ride to campus.

"I ride the heck out of it. It's out here everyday," Waters said of his Segway.

Despite the frequent time he spends in the Pit pitching the Segway's benefits to students, Waters acknowledged the gadget might not be the best fit for everyone. "It's not the end-all be-all," he said. "It has a lot of problems, but it's just another choice."

Riding through congested areas of campus is not an option, so Waters typically uses the Segway for his commute to campus, which is about 3 miles round trip.

"The real issue for me is I think that cars isolate people," he said. "When I'm on this thing, everyone talks to me, whether it's good or bad things.

"Once you get on it, your whole perception of the world changes," he said.

Junior sociology major Ray Martinique uses his Honda Ruckus scooter in a similar capacity. "It's about freedom," he said.

Martinique's apartment complex is on a bus route, but he doesn't like having to be dependent on it.

"My mountain bike got stolen, and (the scooter) just saves a lot of time," he said. "I wanted to avoid the bus, because if you miss it, you are screwed."

His scooter has a maximum speed of 40 mph and turns a 20- to 30-minute walk from his residence to campus into a 5-minute ride.

Martinique, who is originally from Chapel Hill, said he has increasingly seen other scooter riders in the area. "I think it's caught on more in the past five years."

Though Waters and Martinique can't use their unusual modes of transit in all campus environments, sophomore journalism major Hunter Scott spends most of his travel time perched atop his longboard.

"It's more or less like you are surfing on concrete," he said about riding the longboard, an elongated skateboard.

Like Martinique, Scott was a victim of bike theft, after which he decided to use longboarding, which is popular in his Florida hometown, to get to class.

"It's so much more efficient than walking or running, and I am there faster without breaking a sweat," he said.

With the longboard, the trek from Morrison Residence Hall to the Pit turns into about a 4-minute ride, Hunter said. "It drives me nuts to walk to class now, because it just takes so long."

He and his longboard also can be seen cruising Franklin Street on the weekend. "I love it, and people recognize me by it," he said.

Though these alternative means of transportation provide their users greater freedom in getting to and from campus, this freedom comes at a cost.

Waters' Segway cost about $4,000, and the price tag of Martinique's Ruckus was $2,000.

Safety also can be an issue. Since scooters are not supposed to be driven on sidewalks, they are sometimes in the midst of cars and buses.

"I would recommend (driving a scooter), but there are setbacks, because it's not the safest mode of transportation," Martinique said.

The reactions of campus pedestrians to these transportation pioneers have been mixed.

"People either love it or hate it," Waters said. "I've had people call me an idiot and 'Don't you know that those things are bad for you.'"

Martinique said he thinks his scooter makes some people uneasy. "People seem to be intimidated by it," he said. "They hear it and think that I am going to run them over with it."

And though most of the students who listen to Waters' Pit demonstrations think the transportation novelty is interesting, few are ready to make an immediate investment in a Segway.

One Pit observer remarked, "As soon as they make these things levitate, I'll get one for any price."

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