The Los Angeles City Council planned to consider a proposal Thursday night that would ban the use of Segways on the Venice Boardwalk.
The proposal is in response to the recent increase in Segway crashes at the popular tourist destination.
Barbara Duffy, a former Venice Boardwalk merchant, says she broke her hip when she was knocked down by a woman riding a Segway nearly a year ago.
"I lost 32 days of work in the middle of the season. I had a store," Duffy said. Duffy says the crash was one of the reasons her dress shop eventually went out of business.
A Segway is a two or three-wheeled battery powered electric vehicle that riders stand on. Police do not have specific data on the number of Segway accidents, but they did say that accidents involving Segways are on the rise. This information led to the ban proposed by LA City Councilman Mike Bonin.
Segway supporters, however, argue that Segways are not as dangerous as other modes of transportation seen on the Venice Boardwalk.
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"They can’t even really go that fast," supporter Lala Einna said. "I’ve had my ankle broken by a skateboarder and they go pretty fast and the skateboarders, they don't even have brakes. The Segways have brakes."
