Curtis Linhart grows more anxious with each warm spring day that passes as he sees time slipping away to start a business he says could boost tourism in Des Moines.

Linhart and his wife, Laurie, started working on plans a year ago to open Segway of Central Iowa, a business specializing in guided tours utilizing the two-wheeled one-passenger motorized vehicles. The tours would run for about two hours, taking groups of six to eight to places such as the East Village, Gateway West Park and the Principal Riverwalk. Other Midwestern cities such as Kansas City and Minneapolis already have similar businesses, as do several other U.S. cities.

But though Linhart had expected his idea to be embraced by local leaders for its potential to draw more visitors downtown, he says pushing his proposal through the system “seems to be a bear” because the city of Des Moines has restrictions against operating motorized vehicles on sidewalks and recreational trails, with the exception of people with disabilities.

“We can’t go ahead with our plans of investing money in the equipment and taking out a business loan until we hear back from the city,” said Linhart, who already owns Paragon Personal Training in Windsor Heights.

Each Segway Human Transporter costs about $4,500, Linhart says, and it takes a month or more to receive them from the manufacturer once they’ve been ordered.

“If they told us today that we had approval, we would go to the bank and place the orders and try to get everything going,” he said. “It’s possible that it could be up and running yet this summer, but the longer they wait, the less likely it is. We would need to get back some of our investment while the weather is still nice.”

Linhart said when he approached city leaders last spring to discuss his idea for the Segway tours, it took months before he learned that he had to go before the Des Moines City Council to lobby for lifting the restrictions. He made a presentation to the council in December, and was told that a committee from the city manager’s office would research the issue to learn how other cities had dealt with similar situations.

According to Marylee Woods, a customer service training supervisor for the city, the city manager’s office completed its follow-up research on the subject in late March and turned its recommendations over to the Parks and Recreation Department and its Recreational Trails Committee for input. She said the proposal could return to the City Council in time for its May 8 meeting.

“It’s a very common procedure for the council to turn a matter over to the city manager’s office for some background information and research can be compiled,” Woods said. “We’re seeking input from the city Parks and Recreation Department now, which should be wrapped up soon.”

“Thank God that I have another business to support myself,” Linhart said. “I never imagined starting this business would be so difficult, and I really feel for somebody who is trying to do something new and innovative.”

Woods said the committee from the city manager’s office is proposing a revised ordinance that “pretty well addresses the opportunity for the tours as the Linharts had proposed them.” In talking with other cities about their experiences with Segway tours, she said the response was positive from a safety standpoint.

“We asked these other cities had there been any complaints, collisions or accidents between Segways and pedestrians, and how they handled the language of their ordinances and restrictions,” she said.

Under the revised ordinance, the following restrictions would be placed on Segways: the driver would need to be 16 years or older, the machines could not exceed speeds of 10 miles per hour, there could not be more than one person on the vehicle, the driver would always be required to yield to pedestrians and to signal to them to them with a horn or vocal cue when passing, and the devices would be prohibited from operating in areas where signs are posted saying “no Segways allowed.”

“To me, this leaves it wide open and gives them a higher level of flexibility,” said City Councilwoman Christine Hensley. “You leave it pretty open so as to not be too restrictive, and then we can come back and address it again if there are issues with leaving it so open-ended. It’s kind of trial and error when you have something new like this.”

When the proposed ordinance comes before the City Council, it could take two additional meetings before a final decision is made. But if there is no input from the public the first time the ordinance is read, the council could vote to waive the second and third readings and approve the changes, Hensley said.

“We need to be sensitive to them that it’s a seasonal business that can only operate during certain times of the year,” Hensley said. “At the same time, we want to make sure to give the public its opportunity to comment.”

Linhart expects the proposed ordinance to stir up some conversation because it doesn’t address some specifics such as operating hours. He also knows that some people are strongly opposed to sharing the sidewalks with Segways.

“The other day, I was on one in Urbandale and this gentleman pulled over his car to yell at me that he was going to report me for using ‘that thing’ on a sidewalk,” Linhart said. “I explained to him that they are legal under Iowa code, and that only certain cities have ordinances that don’t allow them.”

The most opposition seems to come from adults between the ages of 55 and 65, Linhart said. “We can’t figure out what it is about this group that they get so upset,” he said. “I’ve had people ask me ‘Why do you need this?’ It’s not a question of need.”

Linhart also fields questions relating to why someone who promotes exercise for a living as a personal trainer could also advocate the use of these vehicles. He responds by telling them that Segways are not meant to replace exercise, but replace another form of transportation such as an automobile.

“What’s great for me is that I have a knee injury right now, and instead of driving my car, I can hop on the trail behind my workplace and get to my house in 10 minutes,” Linhart said. “These machines are noiseless, they go 25 miles on 10 cents of electricity, they put out no emissions, they move no faster than a jogger, and they’re no wider than most Iowans. It’s hard to understand the opposition.”