Advocacy & Safety - government bicycle ban

New York City has proposed to ban many classes of cooperatively pedaled bicycles and other non polluting vehicles. Pedicabs would be so restricted that their survival is in question. Electric assist pedicabs would also be forbidden. Help from the bicycling, environmental, and health community is needed to stop the ban. Contact jamesfunjob@aol.com if you want a list of City Councilmembers to e-mail to register your protest. Only if the City government knows that bicyclists are outraged can the ban be defeated. Spread the word.

What do they hope to achieve with such a ban?

More information about what exactly he wants us to email about is helpful I think. He didn't post the actual proposal or any part, so it seems a bit unclear as to what exactly this includes.

What do they hope to achieve with such a ban?

Nothing.
Mayor Bloomberg is just another nanny-state moron.

The State loses taxes when someone hops a pedicab instead of a real cab. The cabbies unions are also putting pressure on bloomberg to ban them.

Without references to the specifics of exact proposal, this type of alert is just hype and feeds speculation and rumor.

Al

There is no clear reason as to why the ban is being proposed. So why? I think people here need a clearer explanation before we jump on the band wagon to stop the ban. Please tell me this has not been brought to the local, state advocacy groups or the LAB with out a clear reason to why the ban is being proposed. I imagine they will want an explanation as to why. So I ask again, why?

Without references to the specifics of exact proposal, this type of alert is just hype and feeds speculation and rumor.

Al


Agreed, "banning bicycles" (without qualification of some sort) as a title seems like a scare-tactic to provoke people to me.

Agreed, "banning bicycles" (without qualification of some sort) as a title seems like a scare-tactic to provoke people to me.
I wonder if the OP even knows the specifc details or is just passing on the word based seeing the hype. I suspect its related to this:
http://www.bikeforums.net/showthread.php?t=194593&highlight=pedicab

Al

If the cabbies union can get pedicabs banned, they can get bicycling massively restricted. Slippery slope. Bloomberg is a pig.

Doesn't matter the activity. Simply substitute the noun of your choice. The government has found a segment that is without regulation and from which the government gets no money. No further justification is needed. The threat to bicycles will come soon.

Wait until "hybrid" cars begin having an impact on gas tax revenue to the government.

From a policy standpoint- I agree with the opinions here. It's just a bad idea and another case of special interest lobbies bending government to suit their own selfish purposes. Granted some vehicles might be unsafe, but an outright ban is a bit much for it to be just that.

But I also do raise an eyebrow when a new person joins the forum and right away they head to advocacy and safety and make a misleading post to provoke people into angry responses. I think the posts should give a little more information and maybe some text from the proposal itself before calling for people to email and raise the pitchforks in anger. heh

Doesn't matter the activity. Simply substitute the noun of your choice. The government has found a segment that is without regulation and from which the government gets no money. No further justification is needed. The threat to bicycles will come soon.

Wait until "hybrid" cars begin having an impact on gas tax revenue to the government.

Commercial Enterprise, diff than u & me riding our bikes around, the affected parties should sit down at a table and work out a regulation policy that benefits both sides. City = safety & money / tourist promotion / pollution reduction, Pedicabs = safety & legitimacy / tourist promotion & better ad revenues. The taxicab union would be left without (legit) a reason to cry foul. The pedicabs could utilize collective bargaining for insurance and other necessities, costs which could be lowered to a managable amount with licensing etc.

This legislation is the result of a few things. One operator of Conference Bikes(a seven person bike) in Times Square has refused to stop allowing his 6 foot wide bicycles to stand anywhere they like. He has cursed at police officers and police brass and dared them to arrest him (they have). The Police Department in order to insure that they may maintain order in Times Square has enlisted DOT to claim that out of the million vehicles entering New York every day that 9: six foot wide cooperatively pedaled bikes are responsible for the traffic jams.Along the way, the legislation ballooned to include tandems with more than two riders and any pedicab where more than one person pedals. As for forbidding electric assist pedicabs, that ban comes from the Metropolitan Taxi Board of Trade. They see human powered transportation and electric assist transportation as a threat to the status quo. The status quo of course being that New York City has some of the dirtiest air in the country, and in some neighborhoods one out of every four children suffer from asthma.

It shall be unlawful to operate, or cause to be operated, any multi-passenger wheeled device
on any street, sidewalk, highway, bridge, tunnel or park within New York City.
Administration response to Intro 75 sponsored by Councilmember Gerson that would legalize all for hire human powered carriages.
If you want more information contact jamesfunjob@aol.com and I can give you all the specifics.

Multi-passenger wheeled devices, known as “party bikes”, are often operated on heavily congested streets. Their dimensions are such that they are as wide as a traffic lane, and their unique construction attracts a great deal of attention. Their operation alongside vehicular traffic represents competition for limited space and poses a risk to the safe flow of traffic.

This bill would not allow party bikes to be licensed as pedicabs and would also ban their private use on streets and in other public areas of the City. These provisions are being proposed to prevent the potential dangers to safety posed by these devices, and to ensure the smooth and safe flow of traffic, particularly in heavily congested areas. A complete ban on the operation of party bikes is necessary to protect the safety of both pedestrians and vehicular traffic.

Accordingly, the Mayor urges the earliest possible favorable consideration of this legislation.
Respectfully submitted,

Multi-passenger wheeled devices, known as “party bikes”, are often operated on heavily congested streets. Their dimensions are such that they are as wide as a traffic lane, and their unique construction attracts a great deal of attention. Their operation alongside vehicular traffic represents competition for limited space and poses a risk to the safe flow of traffic.


Sounds like a legit argument to me.

Multi-passenger wheeled device??? Did they just outlaw all the motor vehicles with room for more than one person?

this is what the party bikes look like. it is particularly aggaravating to encounter one in Central park when you are on a single bike. since they take up the whole path .

http://www.bike-center.biz/conferencebike/_images/cbike-03.jpg


The bigger issue with pedal-cabs is lack of liabilty insurnace and the pedal cab drivers who usually messenger wannabes and disobey traffic signals. City wants to require safety inspections also

They had a special report on these things on 20/20 or dateline or the like a long time back (several years). I think they border on a traffic hazard, given their large size, the number of people, and the often lack of safety gear for it. What sort of brakes do they use? With something of that weight and that many people, you'd need A+ brakes to make an emergency stop or if it gets loose on a hill. New York is a pretty crowded place, they could potentially bea nightmare to cars, pedestrians, and regular bicyclists.

What they need to ban are the yuppie tools that consider things like "conference bikes" a life-enriching experience. Stick with golf, road bikes, and cocaine, you'll be happier, because everyone already hates your guts.

What they need to ban are the yuppie tools that consider things like "conference bikes" a life-enriching experience. Stick with golf, road bikes, and cocaine, you'll be happier, because everyone already hates your guts.


Just once in my life I'd like to see to see a conference bike pirate crew. Each station manned by a different pirate and the guy with the wheel has a parrot on his shoulder. I'd want pictures. Hell they could attack and "board" other conference bikes on the street.

The problem is that although the administration has consistently claimed that the partybike which is just one company's name for the conference bike is wider than a lane of traffic the fact is a lane of traffic in New York City is over 11 feet wide and a Conference Bike at it's widest point is six feet wide. Furthermore, the administration has written language that also bans any pedaled vehicle where more than two people pedal regardless of width. Clearly, since all pedaled vehicles with more than two people pedaling is also being banned the administration is not concerned with width at all.
The brakes on a Conference Bike are hydraulic and stop the bike on a dime even if everyone is pedaling.
The ban on cooperative pedaling and the proposed ban on pedal assist electric, and a ban on a licensed pedicab carrying more than two adults is all part of the taxi industry effort to guarantee that no future developments can lead to non polluting urban transportation. This may not be a problem in the suburbs but in New York City we are choking on the filthiest air in the country. Some neighborhoods report that one out of four children have asthma. The administration sees no problem with 40 foot long stretch limousines on the streets but seems to think that innovative bicycles are a risk to life and limb.
Basically, this bill intends to put the whole pedicab industry into a corner. Pedicabs would be banned from the bikeways on bridges. Pedicabs would be banned from the parks...in Manhattan that would effectively stop pedicabs uptown from taking passengers from the westside to the eastside.
As for the yuppie comment, at the Family Festival in Tribeca two weeks ago 600 children from all socio-economic backgrounds rode four Conference bikes in one afternoon. This weekend the bikes will be in Harlem on 126th Street. This is not a yuppie issue. Many of the people and children who ride the bikes are not accomplished bicyclists and this is their first introduction to bicycling. The children love it and the parents for a change don't have to drag them from the TVs to get them to excercise...the children want to excercise. These are wonderful bikes, as are European urban commuter bikes, and family tandem bikes that would all be banned under this bill.

The city never claimed in any of the stories I read that a party bike was wider than a lane of traffic they said it was as wide as a lane of traffic ( traffic being the vehicles themselves) your average SUV is 6 feet wide. I have encountered party bikes in Central park they take up the whole road and they are never paying attention to where they are going.

As for banning vehicles where more than two people pedal , I am sure they are anticipating that the bike rental venders will come up with a 6 seat trike. How many Triplet and Quad tandems are there in Manhattan?

I have no issues with pedal cabs or even electric assist pedal cabs. I wouldn't mind if the pedal cabs replaced some of the motor cabs. But if you are going to compete with cabs at least play by the same rules, insurance, inspections . Don't go barreling through crosswalks full of people. and stay off the paths in Central Park

I strongly suspect you have a financial interest in the party bikes.

They had a special report on these things on 20/20 or dateline or the like a long time back (several years). I think they border on a traffic hazard, given their large size, the number of people, and the often lack of safety gear for it. What sort of brakes do they use? With something of that weight and that many people, you'd need A+ brakes to make an emergency stop or if it gets loose on a hill. New York is a pretty crowded place, they could potentially bea nightmare to cars, pedestrians, and regular bicyclists.

I've never cared much for the concept. Everyone faces inward, each is required to make traffic (car/bike/ped) observation over the shoulders or torsos of those seated opposite themselves. This creates a unique, dynamic cooperative trust exercise for the group. Probably fun.

Except live traffic is not the place for a trust exercise involving obstructed view and purposeful distraction.

It's a risk factor you're forcing on others. Ever see the episode of C.H.I.P.s where a custom "show car" causes deadly accidents on a freeway? The funnycar had two frontends attached back to back, so a hood, grill, headlights and driver faced both ways. Imagine changing lanes and finding yourself facing such a car! (that's what happened on the tv show) There are a few good reasons for conformity on streets & highways. It'd be a damn shame if "partybikes" or whatever had a chilling effect on pedicabs, rickshaws and tandems.

strange how this isn't an issue in asia

The party bikes should either have time use limtis or restrictions as to location. I think they look like fun, but they shouldn't be increasing congestion on major roads. That leads to more polution by itself. The inclusion of good alternatives to cabs seems like over-reach, though I don't think most hand drawn cabs are anything more than tourist sight seeing devices, so they probably aren't doing much for carbon reductions.

There is a pretty big deal about banning rickshaws.

And when unregulated...are a complete rip off.

This greatly amuses me. Its like my figurative prayers were answered and now liberals are getting a taste of what its like to have their hobby prodded at by legislators.

is this post a troll?

Whats a troll?

from what I undestand the pedicab operators were pushing for some form of regulation that would give their occupation a legal status. What's proposed here vis a vis pedicabs is way to harsh, though I do agree w/a ban on pedicabs on the Brooklyn bridge bike lane as that's a congested, shared path and a pedi fills the whole north (bike) side of the path. Manhattan Bridge would be OK, as it's bikes only on the north side.

party bikes, IME, operate mostly around times square. contrary to what's been said above, one person is responsible for teering/braking, it seems, w/all the touristas providing motive power. as far as blocking traffic... what a laugh! NOTHING moves unimpeded in times square, and party bikes are smaller, more nimble and less of a nuisance than the gray line tour busses and yellow cab that crawl through times sq.

Times sq is a non-stop street fair anyway...it ought to be largely closed to north-south motor vehicle traffic anyway as it's so chok-a-blok with gawkers that it's impossible to walk, let alone ride or drive, on the streets there.

and michigander... us pointy-headed liberals have had our pastime (cycling) poked at plenty by the gov't here in NY for some time now.

I'm not a big regulation person, myself, as a general idea. I like the old Jeffersonian line of fewer regulations (well as a theory anyway). But I will say one of the core areas for the government to regulate is street traffic. One of the reasons we pay the fools (and elect them) is to make sure the streets don't become chaotic... err more chaotic and dangerous (I always have to laugh when I read that last sentence.):rolleyes:

The party bike is probably not well suited and not safe for high congestion areas of NYC. The pedi cab is a taxation issue as they take a lot of short haul rides away from taxies. Short hauls are the most profitable. They actually go faster then taxies mid town during rush hour. Note that a NYC taxi medallion costs about $300,000. Maybe they should have pedi medallions? My observation is that taxi drivers are mostly immigrants and pedi drivers are mostly Americans. I suspect that medallion owners are mostly Americans.

party bikes, IME, operate mostly around times square. contrary to what's been said above, one person is responsible for teering/braking, it seems, w/all the touristas providing motive power. as far as blocking traffic... what a laugh! NOTHING moves unimpeded in times square, and party bikes are smaller, more nimble and less of a nuisance than the gray line tour busses and yellow cab that crawl through times sq.

Times sq is a non-stop street fair anyway...it ought to be largely closed to north-south motor vehicle traffic anyway as it's so chok-a-blok with gawkers that it's impossible to walk, let alone ride or drive, on the streets there.

LOL I agree about Times square. My b!tch about party bikes is they are now showing up in Central Park. and Midtown

Here is a link with commentary from many NYC folk. (You were quite right Velonomad, srojames is one of the owners of the companies involved, yo james full disclosure is a good policy when stumping, lends credibility)

http://www.curbed.com/archives/2005/11/09/red_scream_machine_on_eighth_avenue.php

I didn't see where anyone had said the vehicles were cooperatively steered/braked. My problem with them is the same, obstructed view, purposeful distraction, in live traffic. James as an owner/operator that appreciates safety you should be pushing in another direction if you want to win. Not only could you resist this attempt to ban, but get together with the proponents of the ban and point out the differences between you & your competition. If all else fails make sure provisions are made for you to continue operation, insurance, licensing, permits, etc. Even if the ban fails, a little regulation will come your way like it or not, you're in a better position than your competition should that happen. Take advantage of it.