The New Orleans City Council is expected to vote Thursday on an ordinance to legalize operation of for-hire pedicabs in the city. The measure seems likely to pass, though the council could defer action. The council's Transportation Committee has endorsed the idea. The proposal has drawn heated opposition at several hearings before the committee, with critics saying the three-wheeled,...
The New Orleans City Council is expected to vote Thursday on an ordinance to legalize operation of for-hire pedicabs in the city.
View full sizeIn July, outside City Hall, Monotor Marcel Pete looks to park his pedicab next to one brought by Sal Palmisano before a City Council committee meeting on the proposal to legalize pedicabs. The measure seems likely to pass, though the council could defer action. The council's Transportation Committee has endorsed the idea.
The proposal has drawn heated opposition at several hearings before the committee, with critics saying the three-wheeled, pedal-powered rickshaws would take business away from taxicabs and mule-drawn carriages whose owners already are struggling in a weak economy and have never fully recovered from Hurricane Katrina.
Opponents also have warned that pedicabs would further clog the narrow streets in the already congested French Quarter, expected to be the most lucrative market.
Supporters have replied that pedicabs won't take business away from cabs or carriages because they appeal to different clienteles. They said pedicabs serve people wanting to travel only a few blocks, not the more lucrative long trips they said cab drivers prefer, and will not offer sightseeing tours or provide the same "romantic" atmosphere as carriages.
Supporters also insist pedicabs won't slow traffic in the French Quarter any more than the mule-drawn carriages do.
With pedicabs already commonplace sights in many large cities, supporters have said New Orleans is one of the last major tourist cities in the world without such vehicles.
Even if the ordinance passes Thursday, it probably would take several weeks for the first pedicab operators to meet all city requirements and get their permits.
The ordinance, introduced by Councilwoman Kristin Gisleson Palmer, chairwoman of the Transportation Committee, sets a maximum of 65 pedicab permits, with no one owner or company allowed to have more than 15.
First, however, there would be a pilot period of 12 to 24 months during which only 45 permits would be issued. After the pilot period, the director of the city's Ground Transportation Bureau is to recommend to the council committee whether to keep the limit at 45 or expand it to 65.
Unlike an earlier version of the ordinance, Palmer's proposal does not set a maximum number of companies or a minimum number of vehicles per company, meaning that theoretically there could be dozens of owners operating a single pedicab or a handful of them.
The ordinance says that all pedicab companies and drivers "shall be free to operate uninhibited in all parts of the city" and no company "shall have a favored territory or zone of operation." Some French Quarter residents have suggested limiting the number of the new vehicles allowed in that neighborhood.
Companies would be able to apply for additional temporary operating permits during special events "that attract a large number of visitors to the city," but it is questionable whether it would make economic sense for a company to spend thousands of dollars to buy a vehicle that could be used only a few times a year.
The ordinance sets a basic fare of $5 per passenger for the first six blocks of a trip, plus $1 per passenger for each additional block. Tips are permitted.
Each vehicle must be of "unibody frame construction" with headlights, flashing taillights and hydraulic, mechanical disk or drum brakes. They can be no more than 10 feet long and 55 inches wide. They must be powered solely by "the manual strength" of the operator; engines are prohibited. They may carry advertisements, though no "lewd, crass, vulgar or sexually explicit content or images."
Each would-be driver must show he or she is "physically qualified to drive a pedicab safely," though no fitness standards are specified, and has "unimpaired" hearing and eyesight.
Although operators are expected to concentrate in the French Quarter, some would-be owners and supporters have said they also may seek business in the Central Business District, such as trips between the Morial Convention Center and hotels, and perhaps elsewhere, such as on Magazine Street or around Tulane and Loyola universities.
The rickshaws would be banned on any streets with a posted speed limit of more than 35 mph, except those with designated bicycle lanes. They may not operate outside Orleans Parish.
Operators must obey all traffic and parking laws and are specifically prohibited from parking on sidewalks or neutral grounds. They must park and load or unload passengers "as close as possible to the curb."
Owners must have liability coverage of at least $300,000 for bodily injury or death and at least $50,000 for property damage.
Curiously, the ordinance says applications are to be reviewed by the Ground Transportation Bureau, part of the executive branch, with final decisions to be made by the City Council. Yet appeals from the council's decisions would go to the bureau's director, who apparently would have the final authority on who gets a permit.
Bruce Eggler can be reached at beggler@timespicayune.com or 504.826.3320.