'Fear, doom and gloom are all upon us lately due to the rising costs and potential scarcity of fossil fuel and the heat of global warming. To help solve these problems, it is time that Americans of all stripes overcome their fuel addiction. The transportation module that can help is not something of the future. It is here now: the Self-Balancing Two-Wheeled Personal Transport Vehicle (SBTWPTV), as popularized by the Segway personal transporter. With its ability to run on clean electricity and its small size, the United States — led by the very Green California and the rest of the West Coast — should soon be running fleets of these vehicles. Although over-hyped when they first came out, we predict the Segway and other vehicles like it will soon overtake the skateboard as a commuting alternative to the automobile.

Our Modest Proposal

To help save the Earth, we modestly propose that henceforth all parking garages be designed for use only by these two-wheeled wonders. People will need to junk their SUVs and cars and buy a SBTWPTV. This is a fundamental transformation in how people will travel, commute and park.

Considerations of Geometry and More

As parking industry professionals, we feel it is our duty to Mother Earth and humanity to come up with parking geometry and design standards for the Self-Balancing Two-Wheeled Personal Transport Vehicle garage.

How do you design a garage to accommodate these SBTWPTVs when a complete paradigm shift needs to take place in parking facilities? First, a few basics about these SBTWPTVs. These vehicles have a zero turning radius (see Figure 1), meaning that each can turn within its own width as it spins on its own central axis. They can travel from 6-12 miles per hour on surfaces with adequate friction. On a single charge, the vehicle’s batteries allow it to travel approximately 16-24 miles. It can recharge completely in about 8-10 hours. The platform height is about 8”, with a footprint of 19” x 25” (475 square inches) and ground clearance of 3”. With the vehicle’s reliance on battery power, the carbon footprint is significantly reduced...'