Protesting City Council's Proposed Pedicab Regulations

Today at noon, members of the Pedicab Owner's Association, pedicab supporters, members of Time's Up! and more will be protesting new regulations the City Council is proposing. After a year of considering regulation, the City Council is apparently considering to lower the cap on pedicabs from 500 to 300 as well as banning electric motors.

The NY Pedicab Owners' Association says they are all for regulation, but claim that their suggestions, which include creating pedicabs stands, enforcing a "rule of five" where no more than five pedicabs can group together, and limiting the number of pedicabs in Times Square, have been rejected by the Department of Transportation, Community Board, and City Council Speaker Quinn's office. (You can read the NYPOA press release at Streetsblog.) NYPOA lobbyist Chad Marlow told Metro, "“What we want is something that addresses the problem of bunching up. A cap doesn’t address that. [The city] seems more interested in a symbolic solution than an actual one.”

Groups that are against pedicabs: Some hotels, Broadway theaters, and, of course, taxi cab groups, who claim pedicabs are dangerous, which may be true, but they are also competition.

The rally starts at noon at City Hall; there will be free pedicabs ride from the rally. More information at NYC Pedicab Association.

Photograph by kerfuffle & zeitgeist on Flickr

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By Jen Chung in News on February 13, 2007 7:39 AM

Comments [rss]

Shmurf

Wow "Brightliner" when you post a comment, You POST a comment ! Anyway You all knew this was going to happen sooner rather then later . All the pro's here outweigh the con's so why regulate ? Sad the city hasn't gone beyond the auto's yet .

Brightliner

I have nothing against pedicabs, but the ones out there right now, like the one in the picture, are terrible. I mean, just look at the thing. It looks like it was kludged together in a second-rate vocational school car repair class. If you want to be taken seriously, make the vehicle look professional. First, put the driver behind and above the passengers. Nobody wants to take a pedicab if they have to watch a straining driver bob up and down in front (not to mention the smell in the summertime). Put a nice, lightweight shell around it (forget fiberglass, just use a steel frame with an easily replaceable non-structural light plastic shell). Add a windshield, roof and removable doors for warmer weather. Don't have these floppy, nylon & vinyl enclosures which are a bitch to get in and out of and give a distorted view. Integrate lights, turn signals, seatbelts, a horn and other safety devices that common sense says shouldn't need to be required by law.

As for the electric assist, the city can't ban that. When H.R. 727 became law a few years ago, it specified what electric-assisted bicycles are and put them under the jurisdiction of the Consumer Products Safety Commission. A two or three-wheel vehicle with fully operable pedals and motor power less than 750 watts with top speed no more than 20mph on level ground. CPSC 16 CFR 1512 specifically says the regulation "shall supercede any State law or requirement with respect to low-speed electric bicycles to the extent that such State law or requirement is more stringent than the Federal law." If the state isn't allowed to regulate beyond the feds, why should the city?

bob

jd

The pedicab operators are asking to be regulated, with insurance required. That's not what is at issue here.

Please READ the story before you open your mouth.

jd

Wait until one of you gets injured by one and there is no one to sue.

Then you will be shit out of luck.

bob

Care to tell us why you believe that, oh "Smart One"?

Smart One

They should be banned totally. They are a menace.

A

The theater and hotel people are consistently idiotic. Less motor vehicle traffic in Midtown would be one of the best things that ever happened to NYC's tourist industry. It would allow the industry to GROW. These are the people who run our city. It's unbelievable.

bob

Like Taxis aren't dangerous? Come on, please.

This is purely about turf, not about safety. Quinn and Bloomberg are selling out to the taxi industry.

u

This is why we're all screwed. Pedicabs emit no pollution, no global warming gases, yet the city would rather the streets be clogged with cars.

Pedicabs are only "dangerous" because there are so many cars on the road. Reduce the number of cars out there and suddenly it becomes a lot safer to take a pedicab, bike, walk...