New York City - Self-described Segway "outlaw" Jonathan Gleich is delighted Mayor Bloomberg favors letting the geeky-looking contraptions ride on city streets.
He just wishes city cops and traffic judges felt the same way, because he is repeatedly socked with tickets and fines for commuting to work on his standup Segway two-wheeler.
"I've gotten six tickets so far, five of them from the same Manhattan cop," said Gleich, 50, of Brighton Beach, Brooklyn, who is information technology director for a midtown clothing manufacturer.
He says he has had two Segways in about four years and has put more miles on them than on his Honda Element SUV.
Wearing a bicycle helmet, Gleich rides alongside parked cars, not out in the street with moving traffic.
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His normal route takes him along Coney Island Ave., Prospect Park, Flatbush Ave., across the Brooklyn Bridge via bike lane, Church St. and Sixth Ave. to midtown.
Gleich said the same 10th Precinct cop has nailed him five times a few blocks from his office.
He has also been pulled over numerous times by other officers who scratch their heads and let him go when they can't figure out what to charge him with.
Gleich said he has fought each of his tickets in traffic court and provided administrative judges with safety information on Segways: top speed - 12.5 mph; propelled by "green" rechargeable batteries; 47 states, including New York, have passed laws legalizing them.
He always loses, resulting in fines of $90 to $120 for operating an unregistered vehicle.
"I plead common sense," he cracked. "The judges praise me for being so well-prepared and say, 'I'm sorry, common sense isn't recognized in New York City.'"
The real outlaws, he contends, are the bicycle riders, who heckle him, trying to force him out of bike lanes.
"I obey traffic laws, stop at lights, don't ride on sidewalks," he lamented. "Bicyclists see pedestrians as speed bumps to run over."
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