They might not be “appropriate” at the zoo, but Segway dealers say the two-wheeled personal transporter is becoming more popular — and attitudes might have to adjust.

A woman from Frankfort recently was asked to take her Segway off Brookfield Zoo grounds; zoo personnel offered to rent Dawn Westphal a wheelchair instead.

Westphal, who has multiple sclerosis, a chronic, often disabling disease that attacks the central nervous system, said the Segway helps her get around the park. She had been in the zoo for about four hours when she was stopped by a security guard. The guard told her she was not allowed to have her Segway in the park for safety reasons.

“It isn’t posted anywhere at the zoo that you can’t have the Segway,” Westphal said. “They told me I had to bring my Segway back to my car.”

Sondra Katzen, spokeswoman for Brookfield Zoo, said Westphal should not have been able to get into the gate with her Segway and when she was seen by zoo officials she was notified that her Segway was not allowed.

“We do have a policy on it,” Katzen said. “They are not allowed for safety reasons (and) we do provide (alternative) accommodations.”

Katzen said other accommodations provided are wheelchairs, which can be rented for $10, and an electronic wheelchair, which can be rented for $20. She said Westphal was offered either at no charge since her Segway was not allowed and she needed assistance getting around the park.

Jim Reynolds, owner of the La Grange-based Segway of Chicago dealership, said there literally are thousands of Segways out there and people own them for several reasons.

“First is recreation, then there is the economy,” he said. “There is also the utility of the machine, which police departments have found useful.

 “It’s interesting because a lot of people who buy them for recreational purposes find they use them in ways they never thought of.”

Reynolds, a Riverside resident, said he can make his way downtown from his home quicker on his Segway than in his car.

As for the zoo’s refusal, Reynolds said he would not want to speculate on the reasons why.

“Sometimes its just a knee-jerk reaction to a vehicle they don’t understand,” he said.

Disney World runs Segway tours of the park in the morning but does not allow privately owned Segways on the grounds, Reynolds said.

However, as the popularity of the machine increases, it might force a friendlier acceptance of the two-wheeled scooter.

“We can’t even keep them in stock,” Reynolds said.

Westphal said she didn’t understand what the big deal was with her having a Segway in the zoo because she wasn’t being disrespectful.

“I was being really respectful,” she said. “I am a good pedestrian.”

Westphal said this is her way to get around as a pedestrian and under the State of Illinois Public Acts, Act 92-0868, it states, “Every person operating an electric personal assistive mobility device upon a sidewalk or roadway has all the rights and is subject to all the duties applicable to a pedestrian.”

She said if speed was the concern, her Segway has two settings, a turtle speed, which is 7 mph and a rapid speed, which can go up to 12 mph.

Katzen said the high rate of speed is the reason they aren’t allowed in the park along with rollerblades, skateboards and bicycles. The electronic wheelchair is allowed because the zoo has control on how fast those can run. Katzen said the electronic wheelchair can’t go over 4 mph, which is significantly slower than the Segway speed.

“In the summer, we try to limit vehicles (in the park),” Katzen said.