Scottsdale City Council to vote on pedicab ordinance

April 09, 2013

The Scottsdale City Council will vote on the proposed pedicab ordinance Tuesday. The council will decide whether to require a driver’s license to operate the passenger tricycles on its city streets. Some pedicab operators say the requirement is actually not a bad idea.

NADINE ARROYO RODRIGUEZ: The proposed pedicab ordinance calls for several requirements. The operator must have a driver’s license and commercial insurance. The plan was created after a January accident in Scottsdale. A suspected drunk driver struck a pedicab with two passengers from behind, seriously injuring the riders. Now, the City of Scottsdale is proposing the ordinance to increase safety. Terry Gruver chairs city’s transportation commission. She says the commission agrees with the plan, but recommends that reflectors be added to the sides of the pedicab, and that the driver’s license requirement be eliminated.

TERRY GRUVER: We felt that having an increased level of responsibility was already covered through the ordinance itself and the insurance requirements that pedicab drivers must have.

Pedicab owner Billy O. is a pedicab owner in Phoenix (Photo by Nadine Arroyo Rodriguez - KJZZ)

 

ARROYO RODRIGUEZ: The pedicab business is a booming industry.  Few cities regulate it. Phoenix requires pedicabs to have a driver’s license, be inspected and registered with the city. Glendale on the other hand, allows pedicabs to work on designated streets and must have a city license. Pedicab owner Billy O. says he likes the restrictions. He says Scottsdale is trying to be sensitive to the unemployed and low wage workers. But by doing that, he says they’re also hurting the local industry. He hopes the city will require driver's licenses.

BILLY O.: They are also keeping the door open for all the people that come in from out of state during big events who have no regard for the unofficial rules of the industry or for the property.

ARROYO RODRIGUEZ: The Scottsdale City Council will vote on the pedicab ordinance Tuesday night.