Are Segways good or bad for the environment? That's a question New York lawmakers are addressing as they consider a bill to define the Segway as an "electric personal assistive mobility device," rather than as a motor vehicle. Some environmentalists oppose the measure. As the NYT reports:

While the Segway may appear eco-friendly at first blush - it is futuristic in aesthetic detail and a self-balancing people mover powered by batteries - clean air proponents say the bill, if signed into law, would do harm by making life harder for pedestrians.

Walkers may be forced into cars, said Peter M. Iwanowicz, of the American Lung Association. Or, those who trade walking for Segways would contribute to pollution, he said, since they would have to plug the batteries the Segway used into the wider electric grid to charge them.