Pedicabs: a public nuisance on the public highway
 

For quite some time now Westminster Council and TfL, egged on by various Hackney Cab pressure groups, have been trying to find legal ways to ban pedicabs from plying their trade in London. So far they have been unsuccessful and pedicabs continue to annoy large numbers of Londoners.

TfL have now issued the following public notice:


Major crackdown on dangerous pedicabs in central London· Mayor launches major joint campaign to keep travelling public safe· Police crackdown on dangerous behaviour and unsafe pedicabs

A new get-tough approach to pedicabs in central London has been set out by the Mayor of London. This includes a public awareness campaign in the New Year to inform the public of the potential risks of travelling in pedicabs and a programme of increased police enforcement to tackle dangerous pedicab riders who obstruct highways and ride recklessly.

The announcement follows a new and highly successful enforcement initiative during the autumn, which formed part of a joint safety crackdown organised by TfL, the Metropolitan Police and Westminster Council.

Pedicabs are not licensed or regulated and can cause serious disruption to road users in central London. They are often unroadworthy and uninsured, riders often disobey road rules, putting the public at risk and there is no requirement for their riders to have been checked by the Criminal Records Bureau.

The Metropolitan Police have used their powers under existing legislation to carry out a number of new enforcement operations to deal with dangerous or obstructive pedicabs and their riders. The night-time operations, which ran in the West End throughout October, November and December, involved officers taking actions against pedicab riders who were endangering themselves or others with their behaviour, including obstructing the footway, riding in an inconsiderate or reckless manner, cycling on the footway, causing congestion and who were riding pedicabs which are unsafe, dangerous or unroadworthy.

As well as 35 arrests, 35 pedicabs have been impounded, a further 198 pedicab riders were issued with a formal warning and 19 riders were issued with a fixed penalty notice for offences. Officers from the West End and Chinatown Safer Neighbourhood Team and the TfL funded MPS Safer Transport Command took part in the operation. A series of further enforcement operations will be carried out across central London in the New Year, further bearing down on those who pose a risk to Londoners and visitors to the city.

The Mayor of London, Boris Johnson, said: “Unregulated rickshaw riders who block the streets and ride recklessly through the West End in unroadworthy vehicles pose a real danger both to passengers and to other road users. We are sending out a clear message that this will not be tolerated and we are taking firm action to ensure we keep Londoners and visitors safe."

Cllr Lee Rowley, Cabinet Member for Transport at Westminster council, said: “Just a few pedicabs blocking the road or travelling carelessly can have a huge effect on traffic congestion in the busiest part of London. We want the industry to improve its standards and have been working in recent months with pedicab operators to do just that. We look forward to finding a lasting solution which will improve the heart of our city.”

Siwan Hayward, Deputy Director, Community Safety, Enforcement and Policing at TfL said: “Transport for London is working with the Metropolitan Police Service and other partners to step up the level of enforcement activity against those pedicab riders who cause chaos in central London by not abiding by the rules of the road. Officers from the Safer Transport Command have been working with local Westminster teams to crack down on these unlawful riders who cause congestion on the roads by disrupting bus services and other traffic.”

Sgt Christian Ardron, leading the operation on behalf of West End and Chinatown Safer Neighbourhoods Team, said: "We work with many pedicab operators who operate safely within the West End, this operation is all about tackling those riders who are flouting the rules and as a result are a danger to themselves, their passengers and other road users. In the run up to Christmas the West End becomes increasingly busy and these operations have helped us remove problem pedicabs from the area, leaving it as safe as possible for the rest of the community and the other riders in the run up to the festive period."

Pedicabs: a public nuisance on the public highway
 

It's hard to see how they can be kept out of the Olympic express lanes,
which should be interesting.

Pedicabs: a public nuisance on the public highway
 

On Dec 24, 12:49*pm, Robin9 wrote
(quoting another article):

Pedicabs ... can cause serious disruption to road users in central London..

They are often unroadworthy and uninsured

riders often disobey road rules, putting the public at risk


I wish the converse was always true of all other road users... By all
means clamp down on things that shouldn't be happening, but make it
fair across all modes.

PhilD

--

Pedicabs: a public nuisance on the public highway
 

On Dec 24, 4:11*pm, Basil Jet wrote:
It's hard to see how they can be kept out of the Olympic express lanes,
which should be interesting.

Bojo got it right ... they're called rickshaws. Who thought up the
stupid word pedicab?

Pedicabs: a public nuisance on the public highway
 

In message
, at
21:59:24 on Sat, 24 Dec 2011, Offramp remarked:
It's hard to see how they can be kept out of the Olympic express lanes,
which should be interesting.

Bojo got it right ... they're called rickshaws. Who thought up the
stupid word pedicab?

I've always heard them referred to as "Trishaws".
--
Roland Perry

Pedicabs: a public nuisance on the public highway
 

Trouble is that there is no legal definition of a "rickshaw" or a "pedicab",
so they can't be banned or have regulations imposed on them. Therefore, the
only way to deal with this nuisance is to strictly enforce as many existing
regulations as possible against them.

Pedicabs: a public nuisance on the public highway
 

On 25/12/2011 18:03, SteveL wrote:
Trouble is that there is no legal definition of a "rickshaw" or a
"pedicab", so they can't be banned or have regulations imposed on them.
Therefore, the only way to deal with this nuisance is to strictly
enforce as many existing regulations as possible against them.

They are a bit of an annoyance, aren't they? I have seen them roll up to
myself and others countless times to try and tout for business. Their
prices are also extortionate.

Pedicabs: a public nuisance on the public highway
 

On Sun, 25 Dec 2011 23:27:04 +0000, "
wrote:
They are a bit of an annoyance, aren't they? I have seen them roll
up to
myself and others countless times to try and tout for business.
Their
prices are also extortionate.

They also block the bus lanes in a way a (far narrower) normal
bicycle doesn't.

Neil

--
Neil Williams, Milton Keynes, UK

Pedicabs: a public nuisance on the public highway
 

On 2011\12\25 18:03, SteveL wrote:
Trouble is that there is no legal definition of a "rickshaw" or a
"pedicab", so they can't be banned or have regulations imposed on them.
Therefore, the only way to deal with this nuisance is to strictly
enforce as many existing regulations as possible against them.

Surely there is a blanket ban on selling anything in a public place
without a specific licence.

Pedicabs: a public nuisance on the public highway
 

In article ,
(Basil Jet) wrote:

On 2011\12\25 18:03, SteveL wrote:
Trouble is that there is no legal definition of a "rickshaw" or a
"pedicab", so they can't be banned or have regulations imposed on them.
Therefore, the only way to deal with this nuisance is to strictly
enforce as many existing regulations as possible against them.

Surely there is a blanket ban on selling anything in a public place
without a specific licence.

Is a ride in a pedicab a "thing" though?

--
Colin Rosenstiel

Pedicabs: a public nuisance on the public highway
 

Surely there is a blanket ban on selling anything in a public place
without a specific licence.

Is a ride in a pedicab a "thing" though?

Good question. Despite what one might hear, these peddlers are not
pedlars for the purpose of the Act :(

The Pedlars Act 1871:

"The term "pedlar" means any hawker, pedlar, petty chapman, tinker,
caster of metals, mender of chairs, or other person who, without any
horse or other beast bearing or drawing burden, travels and trades on
foot and goes from town to town or to other men's houses, carrying to
sell or exposing for sale any goods, wares, or merchandise, or procuring
orders for goods, wares, or merchandise immediately to be delivered, or
selling or offering for sale his skill in handicraft;"
--
Robin
reply to address is (meant to be) valid

Pedicabs: a public nuisance on the public highway
 

wrote in message
...
On 25/12/2011 18:03, SteveL wrote:
Trouble is that there is no legal definition of a "rickshaw" or a
"pedicab", so they can't be banned or have regulations imposed on them.
Therefore, the only way to deal with this nuisance is to strictly
enforce as many existing regulations as possible against them.

They are a bit of an annoyance, aren't they? I have seen them roll up to
myself and others countless times to try and tout for business. Their
prices are also extortionate.

but are they extortionate when compared to black cabs for the distance (I
really have no idea, but I suspect not)

tim

Pedicabs: a public nuisance on the public highway
 

On 2011\12\26 13:22, tim...... wrote:

wrote in message
...
On 25/12/2011 18:03, SteveL wrote:
Trouble is that there is no legal definition of a "rickshaw" or a
"pedicab", so they can't be banned or have regulations imposed on them.
Therefore, the only way to deal with this nuisance is to strictly
enforce as many existing regulations as possible against them.

They are a bit of an annoyance, aren't they? I have seen them roll up
to myself and others countless times to try and tout for business.
Their prices are also extortionate.

but are they extortionate when compared to black cabs for the distance
(I really have no idea, but I suspect not)

You suspect wrong. They charge whatever they can get away with, and 25
pounds for a one mile journey is not uncommon. Presumably they can be
haggled with, but I think it's highly unlikely that they would ever be
cheaper than a black cab for any distance, unless it was one of the
*very* few journeys where they can take a substantial shortcut by
driving over pavements and through no entry signs (Lower Thames Street
westbound carriageway to Fenchurch Street station, for instance), but
even there they would be dearer than the black cab unless you haggled.

Pedicabs: a public nuisance on the public highway
 

On 26/12/2011 13:22, tim...... wrote:

wrote in message
...
On 25/12/2011 18:03, SteveL wrote:
Trouble is that there is no legal definition of a "rickshaw" or a
"pedicab", so they can't be banned or have regulations imposed on them.
Therefore, the only way to deal with this nuisance is to strictly
enforce as many existing regulations as possible against them.

They are a bit of an annoyance, aren't they? I have seen them roll up
to myself and others countless times to try and tout for business.
Their prices are also extortionate.

but are they extortionate when compared to black cabs for the distance
(I really have no idea, but I suspect not)

tim

Yes, I think they are. Many years ago, I wanted to use one to get from
Victoria Station to Earls Court. The guy wanted £50 up front.