City Council Passes New Pedicab Regulations

Reported in the New York Times:

Chad Marlow, who represents the New York City Pedicab Owners Association, said the association agrees with much of the legislation, but plans to file a lawsuit challenging some elements of it. He said it believes that the Council was within its rights to impose a cap as the city does with taxis, but that the restriction on electric motors and the provision giving the police the power to ban pedicabs from Midtown run afoul of the law.

Four council members abstained from yesterday’s vote, raising objections to the restriction against electric motors.

At a council hearing before yesterday’s vote, Councilman Alan J. Gerson, who supported the original legislation but removed his name from the current version of the bill, said, "They’re nonpolluting, they’re quiet; why should the city care if they are electric assist or not?"

ALSO ON STREETSBLOG

Do Pedicabs Belong in Bike Lanes?

|
A pedicab (sort of) makes use of the Broadway bike lane. Photo: Brad Aaron Last week’s collision between a pedicab and a yellow taxi in Brooklyn was followed by a renewed, or at least better publicized, interest from Mayor Bloomberg and the City Council in enforcing long-awaited pedicab industry standards. The rules, initiated by pedicab […]

Political Deal Results in Bad Pedicab Regulations

|
More on tomorrow’s rally and press conference on the city’s proposed pedicab regulations: Chad Marlow of the Public Advocacy Group, the pedicab industry’s lobbyist, sends along this press release arguing that Mayor Michael Bloomberg and Speaker Christine Quinn’s proposal to put a cap on the number of pedicabs and ban electric-assist technology harms the industry […]

Pedi Politics

|
On Monday, April 23, the day after Earth Day and the Mayor’s Long-Term Sustainability speech, City Council Speaker Christine Quinn plans to hold a decisive vote on Intro. 331-A, a law limiting and restricting pedicabs. Mayor Bloomberg vetoed the bill but rather than going back and trying to improve the legislation by, say, simply increasing […]

Pedicab Rally in the News

|
AMNY reports: The City Council is poised to put the brakes on New York’s freewheeling pedicabs, prompting hundreds of their drivers to say the regulations would devastate a pollution-free way to get around town. "They say we are causing traffic congestion," said pedicab driver Mega Martinez, 43, at a protest Tuesday. "How can that be? […]

Pedicab Law Put on Hold

|
Attorneys representing the pedicab industry have succeeded in getting a temporary reprieve from restrictions adopted by the City Council earlier this year, including a cap on the allowed number of operators and a ban on electrically-assisted rigs, until their lawsuit against the city can be heard in court. From a September 19 Public Advocacy Group […]

Today’s Rally Against Pedicab Regulations

|
Chad Marlow of the Public Advocacy Group is at the podium. Concerned pedicab owners, drivers and their supporters met on the steps of City Hall at noon to lift the veil off ongoing negotiations to reconcile the Mayor’s and City Council’s pedicab regulation bills. What we want is something that addresses the problem of bunching […]