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? We are the only ones who can get around the traffic."
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 up. A cap doesn't address that. [The city] seems more interested in a symbolic solution than an actual one.
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 and compromises safety while, really, helping no one in particular. We don't like publishing press releases verbatim, but this one is really pretty good reading. You get the sense that these new pedicab regs were designed with the same level of sensitivity and awareness as the city's new school bus system. Here's what the pedicab industry has to say:
New York, New York - February 13, 2007: In an event organized by the New York City Pedicab Owners Association (NYCPOA), concerned pedicab owners, drivers and their supporters will meet 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. In particular, the noontime event will highlight how two imprudent "political deals" will needlessly stagnate the environmentally friendly pedicab industry, prevent pedicabs from utilizing the best available safety equipment and exclude the industry's most experienced drivers.
Read more...
The City Council Consumer Affairs Committee is set to vote on regulations that would put a very low cap on the total number of pedicabs in the City and ban certain types of pedicabs from City streets. Time's Up! joins the Pedicab Owners' Association against these unreasonable regulations to say:
NO CAPS! NO BANS! SAVE THE PEDICABS!
Tuesday February 13, 2007
11:00am Pedicab Ride Leaves from 49 East Houston to City Hall
Free Pedicab Rides to the Rally Will be Offered to all Press
12:00noon-2:00pm Rally and Press Conference, City Hall Steps
Free Pedicab Rides from the Rally will be Offered to all Attendees
Photo: Finstr/Flickr
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