“Pedicabs have been for too long acting like they rule the streets ahead of any other mode of transportation because they’re wearing a cloak of environmental friendliness that no other commuter vehicle could do,” said City Councilman Leroy Comrie

That’s nonsense. Pedicab operators ride recklessly and unpredictably do so for the same reason that some cab drivers are reckless and unpredictable: because they have a financial incentive to do so. If all the pedicab operators saw themselves as some kind of “green brotherhood” on the road, they be sporting slogans and/or would show more courtesy to fellow bicyclists; yet in my expereicne they do so only rarely. Because pedicab operators have a financial incentive to do potentially dangerous things like circling while looking for a potential fare, or suddenly swerving to the curb to pick one up, they should be regulated to require signaling devices and subject to fair but meaningful traffic law enforcement comparable to that applied to taxicabs.

And, while the pedicab operator’s behavior in the video was inexcusable, if you observe the first few seconds of the clip, you can see that the taxi is illegally tailgating the pedicab. We can only speculate as to the the length of time the tailgating was going on, and any honking, commentary or other aggressive or provocative behavior from the taxi driver that might have occurred (as it too often does with taxi drivers and cyclists of all stripes) before the pedicab driver threw the cup.

I believe there’s a near pretty broad acceptance of $2 each way charge on the free bridges if that money goes to mass transit and avoids fare hikes. All except the 3-6 amigos in the State Senate. Surely Bloomberg could sway a few upstate GOP Senators to go for this in his next administration.