NEIGHBORS: Carlsbad man's Segway commute is a real hoot

NEIGHBORS

By JEFF FRANK - Staff Writer | Monday, October 13, 2008 8:18 PM PDT ∞

CARLSBAD ---- As the price of gasoline climbed over the $4 a gallon mark earlier this year, John Frisbie started feeling the pinch.

It was costing the computer specialist between $160 and $180 a week to drive his Mazda RX-8 from his Carlsbad home to his job at Rady Children's Hospital in Kearny Mesa.

He tried the Coaster, but found himself spending too much of his travel time waiting for buses to get him from Old Town in San Diego to his workplace.

A few months ago, Frisbie spotted a possible answer to his commuting cost woes ---- the Segway electric-powered personal transporter.

Checking it out, Frisbie discovered that the Segway, which resembles a large stand-up scooter, could go 24 miles between electric charges.

That was enough to allow him to park his car in the garage and turn his daily trip to work into an environmentally sound and entertaining journey.

Now, Frisbie gets up at 5 a.m. each workday and leaves his home 50 minutes later for the 1-mile ride to the Carlsbad Coaster station.

Hopping aboard the 6:06 a.m. train, he relaxes on board until he arrives at the Old Town transit station.

From there, Frisbie transfers to the trolley, bringing his Segway aboard, then rolls up the hill from the Mission Valley trolley station to the hospital.

Sometimes, he chooses to ride the Segway directly from Old Town to his job.

"It's about 20 minutes (from the trolley). About four to five miles up the hill on Ulric (Street)," Frisbie said. "I get to work at 7:30."

Reversing the trip at 4:30 p.m. gets Frisbie back home around 6:20 p.m.

That's faster than some of his return trips by car when traffic was bad, he said.

Frisbie, 57, so enjoys riding his Segway that he has turned it into his weekend mode of transportation as well.

"It's really a lot of fun," he said. "On weekends I'll catch the Coaster and go around Balboa Park, downtown, or the bay. I don't even take my car out of the garage anymore. It's much more fun to take the Segway."

Frisbie said it took him about 15 minutes to learn how to ride the Segway, which is balanced by gyroscopes to keep the rider upright. Frisbie said he's fallen only once, and that it was his fault.

"You have to make sure the tires don't leave the ground. Make sure to take bumps slowly, or the gyroscopes will get off and you'll fall off," he said.

His new toy is attracting plenty of attention. Passing drivers honk and wave as he rolls by. He's had people turn their cars around and ask him where he got the Segway.

"That's why it's so much fun," Frisbie said. "If you're driving a car, people don't even look at you. With this, three or four people say hi to me on the way to work each day. I like it."

Frisbie enjoys being a trendsetter.

"I've always been someone who tries to get the newfangled stuff. ... When the Vespa (motor scooter) came out, I got a Vespa. If it's technology, I'm kind of a nut for that."

The Segway loads easily onto trains and trolleys even at about 105 pounds.

The wheels power the transporter up the steps into the transit vehicles or up stairs in buildings. The gyroscopes keep it balanced even as it goes up and down hills, Frisbie explained.

Financial benefits are rapidly accruing. Frisbie estimates that it costs about 25 cents a day in electricity to charge the Segway. That plus a monthly $168 transit pass covers his commuting costs. Contrast that with $600 or more a month on gas alone when he drove ---- not to mention wear and tear on his car.

He paid about $5,300 for the transporter, and figures he'll break even in six to eight months.

"I haven't had an environmental bent. I'm doing it just because I decided I needed to save gas money," he said. "I thought it was crazy spending $4 to $5 a gallon of gas."

If you have a suggestion for someone who would make a good Neighbors story, contact staff writer Jeff Frank at (760) 740-5419 or jfrank@nctimes.com.