What with gas prices soaring, Segways -- those two-wheeled, self-balancing, electric scooter-ish type vehicles -- have seen a boom in sales recently. One Segway sales person in Oakland have seen sales triple over the last three months. This is fantastic news in that people really are trying to live a car-free life.

But the 100-pound heavy machines have been (rightfully) banned on Muni and Bart. (Santa Clara County, though, allows the vehicles on buses the drivers' discretion.) Perhaps if Muni created some sort of exterior storage doohickey, a la the front-loaded device buses have for bicycles -- then we can see Segways being allowed on buses. But Bart? No. (Has anyone seen one on a Bart train? Because that is a some gall.) After all, it would be lovely to see more of these things out there, especially if public transit could accommodate them, but we don't see that happening anytime in the near future.

Aaanwyay, as of now there are estimated to be around 3,000 Segways in the Bay Area. Hey, riders, tell us what it's like to ride one of these contraptions around the city, will you? Is it worth the price? Do people in passing cars make fun of you? Can we drive to Palo Alto in one? Will this happen if we ride one? Please advise.