posted July 17, 2007
First it was the horse and carriage, then the Chattanooga Ducks. Recently, the pedicab arrived to bring a unique tour of downtown Chattanooga. And the Segway is next.
Bill Braasch said he wants to begin offering tours soon on the battery-operated, personal moving device on two wheels.
He said he will lead the tours while riding on a Segway, there will be six Segways following him in the "train," and his partner will be the "caboose" at the rear.
An 8.2-mile, hour and a half tour is planned, starting from the Tennessee Aquarium and going across the Walnut Street Bridge to North Chattanooga and back for a route down to Coolidge Park and up to the Boathouse restaurant. It will end back at the Aquarium.
But first Mr. Braasch must get the approval of the City Council. Council members on Tuesday told him to discuss the issue with Larry Zehnder, city parks and recreation director.
Mr. Zehnder said the Riverwalk was designed for non-motorized traffic. He said there has been an issue with speeding bicycles, and a bike speed limit of 5 mph has been posted.
The Segways go 6 mph at one setting and up to 12 mph at another.
Councilwoman Sally Robinson said, "I'm really concerned" about motorized vehicles going across the Holmberg Bridge and other park areas she said were designed for playing, picnicking and kite flying.
But Councilwoman Marti Rutherford said she welcomes the new attraction. She said, "When the Chattanooga Ducks came in, there was all this hullabaloo. It was going to ruin the city. I think the Ducks are wonderful. This is just another fun thing. It's a concept that I think can really be a winner."
Mr. Brassch, who brought his family here a year ago after living in Chicago and then Savannah, said he will be fully insured and riders will be required to wear helmets.
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