Results tagged “departmentofconsumeraffairs”

Following the Williamsburg pedicab crash, the regulations around the human-pedaled vehicles are garnering some attention. The NY Times delves into them today, reporting that in 2007 the City Council passed a bill which was challenged in court by pedicab owners, who claimed it would allow more inexperienced drivers to get licensed. This put the rules on hold for years, but the lawsuit ended in April and still no new rules have been drafted or put in place—a task that falls in the hands of the city’s Department of Consumer Affairs. The paper notes that "the city acknowledges that its safety and licensing provisions," which include a ban on bridge travel, are not being enforced. A lawyer for the NYC Pedicab Owners Association said, “We begged the city, for the sake of safety, to please enforce these things before someone gets hurt," but so far that hasn't happened, and until it does the rules are moot. Currently the NYPD are treating pedicabs as cyclists, meaning there are no fines for carrying too many passengers and not having seat belts.

As a way to help struggling New Yorkers, the NYC Department of Consumer Affairs, City University of New York and Daily News are offering a week of free financial advice. The Your Money Helpline has more than 200 experts who will be able to answer topics like, "How to cope with credit card debt," "How to get financing for education," and "How to deal with mortgage problems." The Daily News says the experts come from "the City’s Office of Financial Empowerment, banks and credit unions, financial industry associations and participants, city agencies, CUNY's business, finance, and economics faculty, staff and student financial aid experts and other trained volunteers." Call 212-330-6505 for help in English and 212-330-6506 for help in Spanish.