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Transportation

NYPD To Replace Motor Fleet With Electric Scooters 235

XueCast writes "A few days ago, the New York Police Department, one of the largest police forces in the US, announced that they are planning to make New York greener by replacing their gasoline motorcycle fleet with the super-quiet and energy efficient electric scooters from Vectrix. NYPD said that they will first road test four electric scooters from the Rhode Island-based electric vehicle manufacturer next month, and if the road test is a success, NYPD said that they plan to order more electric scooters from Vectrix to replace their less-than-green motorcycle fleet."
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NYPD To Replace Motor Fleet With Electric Scooters

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  • misleading title (Score:3, Insightful)

    by Jrabbit05 ( 943335 ) on Thursday December 27, 2007 @04:24AM (#21828034)
    Motor fleet = Car fleet Motorcycle?
  • by mrmeval ( 662166 ) <jcmeval@@@yahoo...com> on Thursday December 27, 2007 @04:26AM (#21828042) Journal
    I'm so scared!

    Yes it's sarcasm.

    They look so metrothexual.
    • by Anonymous Coward on Thursday December 27, 2007 @04:36AM (#21828078)
      Since when were police supposed to be intimidating? They are supposed to be public servants that you can trust and feel comfortable around, not some militant force that will shoot you because you look at them wrong. Unfortunately this isn't the case in many places and your post validates how people (rightfully) perceive them.
      • Re: (Score:3, Insightful)

        by Anonymous Coward

        They are supposed to be public servants that you can trust and feel comfortable around,
        Very well said. But it is also worth noting that to be effective at their jobs, police must also be respected by the public. Unfortunately a (growing?) segment of the population has little respect for concepts such as law and order and societal stability. They do respect the force of a gun, however, and as such a certain amount of perceived intimidation is useful.
        • by Pfhorrest ( 545131 ) on Thursday December 27, 2007 @05:55AM (#21828306) Homepage Journal

          Unfortunately a (growing?) segment of the population has little respect for concepts such as law and order and societal stability. They do respect the force of a gun, however, and as such a certain amount of perceived intimidation is useful.
          While I agree completely with the gist of what you're saying, I would phrase it a little differently.

          People are losing what little respect they once had for each other and for themselves, such respect being the foundation of law and order and societal stability; and they are now more and more turning to (and bowing to) the use of force instead, where in more civilized times their respect for each other or for themselves would have prevented them from turning to (or bowing to) such shows of force.
          • by TubeSteak ( 669689 ) on Thursday December 27, 2007 @08:42AM (#21828938) Journal

            People are losing what little respect they once had for each other and for themselves, such respect being the foundation of law and order and societal stability; and they are now more and more turning to (and bowing to) the use of force instead, where in more civilized times their respect for each other or for themselves would have prevented them from turning to (or bowing to) such shows of force.
            People have been repeating that mantra since time immemorial.

            When the USA turns into a failed state [wikipedia.org] like Sudan or Chad, where warlords & tribal leaders are fighting for control, then maybe you'll have something to complain about.

            Crime rates have been trending downwards [usdoj.gov] for quite some time now. The only thing that's been trending upwards are arrests for drug violations.

            P.S. When exactly are these "more civilized times" you're referring to?
            • Trending downward...

              Isn't that crime in general that has been on the decrease and violent crime has been on an upward swing?

              Later,
              -Slashdot Junky
            • by 99BottlesOfBeerInMyF ( 813746 ) on Thursday December 27, 2007 @01:08PM (#21831318)

              People have been repeating that mantra since time immemorial.

              Agreed. Every generation thinks the next one will be the end of civilization. There are some great quotes from ancient Greeks to the affect.

              When the USA turns into a failed state like Sudan or Chad, where warlords & tribal leaders are fighting for control, then maybe you'll have something to complain about.

              This is crap. The "we're not as bad as China" has never eld any water. You can always point to someone worse, but that in no way mitigates how bad things are in a given place and we should always be looking to make things better by pointing out what is wrong and trying to correct it. Trying to excuse problems by pointing to others is a logical fallacy.

              Crime rates have been trending downwards for quite some time now. The only thing that's been trending upwards are arrests for drug violations.

              Crime statistics aren't too meaningful by themselves because so many things are crimes, including things we all do (speeding, swearing in public, having sex when not married). Laws are enforced or not and that can significantly influence the "crime rate." What I care more about are violent crime rates, since these are the real, serious offenses. Violent crime rates started going up in 2005, and have increased significantly in both 2006 and 2007 according to the FBI. It is disturbing as a societal trend but it actually fits with sociologists predictions. The strongest correlation with violent crime is wealth disparity. Wealth disparity has been increasing in the US, with the middle class shrinking, the upper class staying about the same size, but becoming richer, and the lower class growing. This trend boomed in about 2001, and after about the usual 5 year lag, violent crime rates have begun to boom as well.

              You know what I find really sad? One of the most effective programs to reduce wealth disparity is socialized healthcare. Health care costs are the number one cause of personal bankruptcy in the US and costs of health care are a significant expense for the poor. Despite the clear statistical indications that this would lower crime rates, not a ingle politician on either side of the debate has had the balls to bring this topic up. They think anything that is a complex causality is beyond the comprehension of the voters, and they're probably right.

              P.S. When exactly are these "more civilized times" you're referring to?

              As to the original topic, respect for the police and the laws. Just the other day the cops started following a car I was in, then pulled us over when we tried to pull into our driveway. They claimed it was because our muffler sounded "a bit loud" but why then would they follow us around, through several turns before pulling us over? It was bullshit. They weren't trying to enforce a law, they were trying to pull people over in the hopes they could bust us for something. Previous to their following us, they were speeding, and changed lanes three times without using an indicator. When the police don't respect the laws or obey them, it erodes one's respect for both the police and the laws. When absurdly stupid laws are still on the books and occasionally enforced at the whim of those with power, it erodes one's respect for the laws.

              I know an old, retired officer who is proud of the fact that he never broke any laws the entire time he was a cop. I know a dozen people who are cops today and every one brags about abusing their authority in a "funny" way and the fact that they can get away with breaking the laws whenever they want. My brother used to be a cop. One day he was puled over for speeding in his private car and when the cop saw who it was, he just chatted wit him and let him go, with no mention of the speeding. I'd say their is a trend towards lack of respect for police and laws in the US, and it is very justified by our current laws, enforcement practices, and police hiring practices. 90% of

        • Re: (Score:2, Insightful)

          by Anonymous Coward

          They do respect the force of a gun
          "Fear" is not the same as "respect".
        • Mod parent down (Score:3, Insightful)

          by WindBourne ( 631190 )
          PPL are losing respect for the police, not for law and order. They would very much like to see it. The problem is that we have too many corrupt police, combined with police brutality. Even in the gangs, they know that they can buy more and more cops. And half of those that they can not buy, will beat them if given a chance.

          As to the gun, the vast majority do not respect it. They fear it. That is two very different concepts. It is also part of the reason why more and more criminals are getting bigger guns.
      • Re: (Score:2, Insightful)

        by SacredByte ( 1122105 )

        They are supposed to be public servants

        "In a mature society, 'civil servant' is semantically equal to 'civil master.'" - Lazarus Long
      • Police are supposed to be intimidating to anyone who is disturbing or would disturb the public peace. Any other intimidation they create [should be] unintentional.
      • by hey! ( 33014 ) on Thursday December 27, 2007 @11:42AM (#21830486) Homepage Journal
        Well, I imagine that for a cop, intimidation is like his service revolver. It's there for him to use, but he's not supposed to make a habit of it.

        By giving somebody a nightstick and a gun, you are presupposing there are circumstances in which he'll use them, rather than ordinary persuasion. If the moral imperative is to do your job with the least force possible, then intimidation fits right between reasoned persuasion and beating or shooting people. Saying cops should never intimidate members of the public is one of those things that sounds right, but you have to examine the alternatives in any particular situation.

        If the imperative is to protect the public safety with the least force, then using intimidation where a lesser alternative is available is like drawing and firing a gun when there isn't a life at stake, only to a lesser degree. It is true that the public should not live in continual fear of the police, but occasional fear is not so terrible, provided that the police remain servants of the public. It's one thing to feel fear when you are speeding and see a cop parked on the side of the highway; it's something that either you can live with, or which you should change by voting in politicians who will raise the speed limit. It's another thing to be afraid that every time you talk to a police officer you might be "disappeared". Just because the situations feel somewhat alike doesn't mean they are alike.
        • Re: (Score:3, Insightful)

          How one looks at that equipment is going to depend on how they perceive the police. When I'm near a cop, I trust that person in general to use the equipment in a manner consistent with my safety, so long as I'm not attacking him or someone else. It gives me a sense of protection.

          However, other people (including people in my own family) view cops as just looking for a reason to write them up, and see the equipment as a method of intimidation. Most cops that I talk to are happy to help and joined the force
    • by timeOday ( 582209 ) on Thursday December 27, 2007 @10:41AM (#21829822)
      Ever driven in Manhattan? I can't imagine a faster way to cut through traffic. Good luck getting away in your macho SUV!
      • I've done a demo ride on one of these scooters. It has a 27 hp motor and accelerates as quickly as a 400cc motor scooter like a Suzuki Burgman. It even felt like the electronics were limiting torque off the line to help with smooth starts. Range is still limited at about 45 mi in city driving, and it's not suited for patrolling highways with a 62 mph top speed. If the NYPD could live with the limited range, this scooter would work fine in Manhattan.
  • Come on Editors (Score:5, Interesting)

    by OverlordQ ( 264228 ) on Thursday December 27, 2007 @04:27AM (#21828048) Journal
    Stop linking to blogs whose sole purpose is copy+pasting content from other sites and link to the source [cnn.com]
    • Re: (Score:3, Insightful)

      by MulluskO ( 305219 )
      For all bloggers thump their chests about blogs being the new way to report the news, they are in my view just a new way to talk about the news.
      • Re:Come on Editors (Score:5, Insightful)

        by rucs_hack ( 784150 ) on Thursday December 27, 2007 @05:08AM (#21828196)
        For all bloggers thump their chests about blogs being the new way to report the news, they are in my view just a new way to talk about the news.

        What, you mean like slashdot?
        • You do realize that /. originated as "just" Cmdr Taco's blog, right?
    • Come on Bypassers. (Score:2, Insightful)

      by Anonymous Coward
      "Stop linking to blogs whose sole purpose is copy+pasting content from other sites and link to the source [cnn.com]"

      Yeah! Stop linking to slashdot. Oh wait!
    • Re: (Score:2, Informative)

      by coldcell ( 714061 )
      They should at least fix the damn spelling errors. "quite" is supposed to be "quiet".
    • Re: (Score:3, Interesting)

      by Tim C ( 15259 )
      While you're at it, stopping posting stories that read like adverts would be nice too. E.g. do we really need the company's name in there twice?
  • Environmental cost (Score:5, Insightful)

    by Assembler ( 151753 ) on Thursday December 27, 2007 @04:29AM (#21828052)
    Why spend $11,000 on new motorcycles when that sort of investment in more efficient police cars would have a much greater environmental impact? (Not to mention savings at the pump) Traditional motorcycles don't use that much gas, and can easily get 2-3 times the mpg of a car. Halving the energy consumption of a motorcycle is nowhere near as interesting as halving the energy consumption of a car.
    • by VirexEye ( 572399 ) on Thursday December 27, 2007 @05:06AM (#21828192) Homepage
      The problem is not that motorcycles are not very efficient mpg wise, it's that they don't have catalytic converters. Even though they are very fuel efficient, they still manage to produce more toxins into the atmosphere than cars.

      It's generally not considered a huge deal since the ratio of motorcycles to cars on the road is rather low, but if a fleet of bikes can be replaced, it might make a difference.

      • by dltaylor ( 7510 ) on Thursday December 27, 2007 @06:47AM (#21828436)
        New bikes DO have catalytic converters.

        Check the "ENGINE" tab here. for example:

        http://www.ducati.com/od/ducatinorthamerica/en/bikes/model.jhtml?model=2390 [ducati.com]
        • New bikes DO have catalytic converters... ...for sufficiently high levels of police department Ducati-ownership.
      • As an interesting aside, check out the all-electric scooters sold by "Yo Bykes" [induselectrans.com] (ugh!) in India.

        The Yo Smart [induselectrans.com] model sells for about $800, and does ~75km/40mi per charge.
        While its performance is fairly anemic, it is cheap, small, and convenient enough for short distances. Imagine the benefit to the environment (and money saved!) if more people started using these electric bikes/scooters instead of their big-ass cars and SUVs for short errands.
        • And its max speed is quoted as >25Kmh/15mph. Still a good bit faster than walking, but take it out on anything but neighborhood back roads and expect to be flattened.
          • Yeah. Interestingly, they've only artificially throttled the top speed so that according to Indian road regulations, this will not be considered a motor vehicle, and will not require a license, registration, or road tax.

            Yo has another model called Yo Speed [induselectrans.com] that has much more sensible specifications. This one is a lot sturdier and heavier, has a top speed of 45kmh/30mph (again artificially throttled) with a payload capacity of 130kg, which is quite decent!

            An interesting hack would be to disable the artificia
      • its on all their street bikes.

        The issue in NY is that you cannot use bikes year round.

        If you want them to be really environmentally considerate let them bring horses back to the whole city!

        My only beef with being friendly to the environment, if these vehicles truly are from manufacturing to disposal, is that they make it seem all so nice. The key is that city officials are the ones raking in the glory for their actions while its the tax payers who should get credit. It is very easy to be magnanimous on so
      • by fm6 ( 162816 )

        It's generally not considered a huge deal since the ratio of motorcycles to cars on the road is rather low
        It is a big deal if you're a city official trying to paint yourself green. Though to be fair, noise and maintenance costs are also factors.
    • by p0tat03 ( 985078 )
      They *are* working on reducing the energy consumption of cars. But every bit counts.
    • by DeeQ ( 1194763 )
      Okay you have fun catching up to the bad guys in another car while driving a prius.
      • I was thinking that if I went around the police departments and shot the transformers with something so they didn't work anymore, Would they have enough charge left on their super segway to chase me down after robbing a bank?
  • A Vectrix electric scooter with a single charge can go as far as 68 miles at 25 mph speed, and has a top speed of 60 mph. --TFA


    This is NOT exactly the vehicle that one would really consider for any sort of high speed chase. Or hell, think of them on an interstate.

    But still I'm sure they have their practical uses.

    • by Jrabbit05 ( 943335 ) on Thursday December 27, 2007 @04:31AM (#21828064)
      Its New York. You're not going anywhere.
      • by h4rm0ny ( 722443 ) on Thursday December 27, 2007 @05:41AM (#21828280) Journal

        Maybe they should use pedal bikes. Quite a few UK police forces tried equipping their police officers with bicycles which seemed quite effective. No-one could get away from them on foot but it didn't stop them from going through pedestrian areas. And they were certainly more approachable than police officers in cars or on motorbikes.
        • Maybe they should use pedal bikes
          Yeah, then we'll equip them all with baseball cards too so they make the noise right?

          What happens if they arrest someone? "Okay buddy! In the basket!"?
          • Re: (Score:2, Informative)

            by Blahgerton ( 1083623 )
            Most beat officers don't take suspects to jail. They call a car from the district who picks up the suspect for processing. It gives another witness to the event and taking a beat officer off the road leaves a large gap in the police presence.

            You can always tell when there is real trouble by the number of cars. 1 police vehicle is normally a citation; 2+ vehicles is generally an arrest of one sort or another.
          • What happens if they arrest someone? "Okay buddy! In the basket!"?
            I would "imagine" they hold the person at the scene until such time as a squad car can come their way. But someone from NYC might be more accurate.
        • Maybe they should use pedal bikes.

          I think they do. Also horses.
        • They do have pedal bike cops, and they've been really effective patrolling the grounds of 1960's-era "tower-in-a-park" housing projects. I've seen NYPD motorcycles in two places - motorcade/parade route duty, and highway patrol (NYC has over 100 miles of limited-access highways within city limits - thanks, Mr. Moses!).
    • Re: (Score:2, Interesting)

      by Osty ( 16825 )

      This is NOT exactly the vehicle that one would really consider for any sort of high speed chase.

      If I were a motorcycle cop, I would not want to be involved in any high-speed chases. You want to be safe within a cage for that type of work.

      On the other hand, it seems silly to replace motorcycles (already quite fuel-efficient due to their light weight) while leaving gas-guzzling cars and SUVs in the fleet. Why not replace all patrol cars with hybrids? They can run on battery around town, and switch over t

      • On the other hand, it seems silly to replace motorcycles (already quite fuel-efficient due to their light weight) while leaving gas-guzzling cars and SUVs in the fleet. Why not replace all patrol cars with hybrids? They can run on battery around town, and switch over to ICE for the high-speed chases (obviously you'd want something beefier than a Prius).

        Somebody I work with recently bought a Prius. He says it uses less fuel than his motorbike.

        • Somebody I work with recently bought a Prius. He says it uses less fuel than his motorbike.
          Keep in mind that there are many size engines in motorbikes, even larger than a 1.5l prius engine. 1996 Kawasaki Vulcan is one.
        • My mom's Prius uses less gas than my Harley does. I get between 40 & 45 mpg depending on how I ride and whether or not I have a passenger but she routinely gets upwards of 70 mpg in that thing.

          Someone above was dogging the performance of Harleys, and compared to sport bikes I'd say it's justified, but there are very few cars where I live that have anything even close in terms of acceleration, and not just from a stop - my bike will go from 60 to 80 mph in a startlingly short amount of time. My friend

      • On the other hand, it seems silly to replace motorcycles (already quite fuel-efficient due to their light weight) while leaving gas-guzzling cars and SUVs in the fleet. Why not replace all patrol cars with hybrids? They can run on battery around town, and switch over to ICE for the high-speed chases (obviously you'd want something beefier than a Prius).

        According to Piaggio [piaggiousa.com] their scooters get 50 to 80mpg rather than a Prius which according to toyota.com gets 46mpg. I can't say which Piaggio scooters the NYPD are using, for all I know they could be using the 2cycle version.

        I also read they are using 2006 Dodge Chargers which get 13/18mpg and mostly ye old Ford Crown Victoria Police Interceptor common among law enforcement and not much better on fuel.

        Why not replace all patrol cars with hybrids?

        So in terms of raw fuel use, you are likely correct that addressing the gas guzzlers would likely result i

    • by RuBLed ( 995686 )

      But still I'm sure they have their practical uses.

      Other than being a scooter, I could only think of a big taser...
    • by jcnnghm ( 538570 )
      Kind of reminds me of a story my dad told me a few years ago. He was working with a state park on getting their budget set, and the park rangers wanted to get "high speed pursuit vehicles", and he said they were unnecessary. They asked, if we don't have high speed pursuit vehicles, how will we engage in high speed pursuits. His response, radio ahead and have the gate shut, it's not like there is another way out. From my experience, in NYC I don't think high speed pursuits are a huge concern.
  • Honest question (Score:3, Interesting)

    by ndogg ( 158021 ) <the.rhorn@NoSPAm.gmail.com> on Thursday December 27, 2007 @04:43AM (#21828110) Homepage Journal
    What do motorcycle cops do that those in cars can't? Is it simply their ability to go down narrower spaces, or are the motorcycles useful for more than that? Is it simply space saving over cars?
    • Re:Honest question (Score:5, Insightful)

      by Chrisq ( 894406 ) on Thursday December 27, 2007 @05:10AM (#21828210)
      I don't know about in NY but in the UK rush-hour a motorbike can travel through city-centre traffic at four times the speed of a car. Read 30mph average instead of 7. Don't underestimate the usefulness of going through narrow spaces either, many crimes have planned getaway routes that can only be negotiated by a small car, with a small clearance that you would only take at speed if you are not bothered about scraping the sides. I have also heard it said that if a motorcyclist refuses to stop it is almost impossible to give chase in a car, if there is no motorcycle available they just take the numberplate and call round later, when the bike is almost certainly "reported as stolen".
    • Is it simply their ability to go down narrower spaces That's a huge "simply" When the cops aren't stuck in NYC traffic they can get there much much faster.
    • by Anonymous Coward on Thursday December 27, 2007 @06:05AM (#21828348)
      "What do motorcycle cops do that those in cars can't?"

      Freeze to death in the middle of winter. Fly gracefully over the hood of a car in an accident. Be able to fart without one's partner commenting on it. Pop wheelies.
    • The same thing that NYC horse mounted cops can do - negotiate faster than cars in city traffic and go off road.
  • Electric scooters are great for taking out pedestrians Carmageddon style. Those pesky petrol based ones make too much noise and people don't step out in front of you. Helps too if you wear nice black leathers so as to reduce your visibility.
  • Stupid (Score:3, Insightful)

    by Lazarian ( 906722 ) on Thursday December 27, 2007 @05:29AM (#21828250)
    This might be ok for parking meter cops and purposes like that, but for regular law enforcement this is stupid. Police need decent equipment to be able to do their jobs effectively, and the specs of the bike in the article are an absolute joke compared to a real motorcycle. If police have to respond to a situation where someones life may be in danger, I doubt that the victim really cares how "green" the cops vehicles are while they're waiting for them to show up.

    Public safety should never be something that gets compromised by poorly thought-out "green" initiatives.

    • Re: (Score:3, Informative)

      by Mishra100 ( 841814 )
      Motorcycle police aren't there for high speed chases. It is too dangerous to the officer to do any kind of chase due to the instant death any wreck would bring.

      Getting around in New York is slow and takes a lot of corners so the specs on the bike seem to be on target to the top speed they would get on a regular motorcycle in that huge city. I think their testing will prove that the bikes will be just fine for the job.
    • The electric scooters are replacing non-electric scooters. They are not replacing non-electric motorcycles.

      There are police on foot, police on segways, police on bicycles, police on horseback, police on motor-cycles, police in patrol cars, police in interceptor cars, police in trucks, and, yes, police on scooters.

      What I think is stupid, is being assumptive of the role involved and the needs without doing so much as actually even reading the article first.

      Personlly, in my experience with law-enforcement, the
      • What I think is stupid, is being assumptive of the role involved and the needs without doing so much as actually even reading the article first.

        C'mon - this is Slashdot. Folks don't need to read the articles! Regardless of the topic, they know more than anyone about any subject.
  • Headline is wrong (Score:5, Insightful)

    by jamesl ( 106902 ) on Thursday December 27, 2007 @05:40AM (#21828276)
    "NYPD To Replace Motor Fleet With Electric Scooters" should read, "NYPD to Test Electric Scooters."
  • by gordguide ( 307383 ) on Thursday December 27, 2007 @06:00AM (#21828322)
    Yeah, they're big motorcycles. They only get 45 mpg in the city, and that's observed fuel economy, not some Science-Fiction EPA rating.

    So, let's replace the most fuel efficient motor vehicle the NYPD has in the fleet because it's "less than green" and let's keep those cars, trucks, vans, helicopters, and who-knows-what else. You know, for the children.
    • by DeeQ ( 1194763 )
      READ THE POSTS ABOVE YOURS. It is not about how much MPG they get its about how much stuff they release into the ozone. They dont have a CatConv
    • Re: (Score:3, Insightful)

      by evilviper ( 135110 )

      So, let's replace the most fuel efficient motor vehicle the NYPD has in the fleet because it's "less than green" and let's keep those cars, trucks, vans, helicopters, and who-knows-what else. You know, for the children.

      You have a plan for an electric helicopter we should know about?

      A patent on a very inexpensive yet high capacity battery that will out-range and out-perform gasoline in cars, trucks, and vans?

      So, you would prefer they do nothing to help, since they can't do EVERYTHING just yet? Always attack

      • Always attack the highest hanging fruit first?

        If you don't attack the highest hanging fruit first then it's behind you when you bend down to get the low hanging fruit.
  • by Teisei ( 1172661 ) on Thursday December 27, 2007 @06:04AM (#21828340)
    4 wheels, small size and running on electricity - Electric wheelchair !
  • by edwardpickman ( 965122 ) on Thursday December 27, 2007 @06:11AM (#21828358)
    With a maxium speed of 60 and a range of 68 miles at 25 mph what's the point? Either they are for chasing pedestrians or motorcycle escorts. The speed is only adequate for city streets for short trips. I'm assuming they are intended for traffic and parking tickets and are more a replacement for for the old Cushman type vehicles. They are hardly a replacement for motorcycles. They could servie some of the purposes that mounted officers did but they lack the high visibility that was a benificial feature of being on horseback. I really wish the article had gone into the intended use because it is a puzzle.
  • by ghoul ( 157158 ) on Thursday December 27, 2007 @06:34AM (#21828410)
    Given the population density of New York isnt it time to setup city wide (or at least the financial district wide) people mover belts like you find at the nicer International Airports (Dubai and Frankfurt spring to mind). These would be hyper efficient as only the thing which needs to be moved i.e. a person weighing 200 pounds instead of moving a big iron box weighing tons aka a car.
    These used to be a staple of futuristic SF stories - wonder why it never caught on - the technology is definitely there(in airports)

    On a side note if people are using conveyor belts the cops dont need motorcycles to catch perps - just get on the hyperfast conveyor belt lane reserved for emergencies.
  • So will we be seeing Detectives: Green, Stabler, Benson, Munch, Tutuola, Goren, Eames and Logan riding around on these?
    • by dschuetz ( 10924 )

      So will we be seeing Detectives: Green, Stabler, Benson, Munch, Tutuola, Goren, Eames and Logan riding around on these?
      I doubt it. On the other hand, I wouldn't be surprised if Goren owned a Segway. :)
  • The NYPD has used scooters for years; they're great in congested areas. They probably like this thing because it's quiet.

    The NYPD doesn't do many car chases. NYC is too crowded. They prefer to get a few units into position ahead of the vehicle being pursued.

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