The seven-person bicycles poking through city streets since last summer may soon be banned from Boston.
Mayor Thomas M. Menino, concerned about the effect of so-called party bikes on traffic and public safety, submitted a proposed ordinance this week that would prohibit the circle-shaped bikes.
"I don't want to wait until someone gets hurt," Menino said. " They're dangerous."
The mayor also proposed regulating pedicabs, three-wheel bicycles used to transport people. Pedicab companies would have to secure a license from the Boston Police Department's Hackney Division.
"Regulating the pedicab industry and prohibiting the use of party bikes is critical to protecting not only the customers that use these services, but also to protect pedestrians and vehicular traffic," Menino wrote to the City Council.
Rick O'Connell -- owner of Boston Pedal Party, which operates the German-made Conference Bicycles around Fenway Park and Faneuil Hall -- said he plans to seek a compromise. "I see this as a positive addition to the city," O'Connell said. Neither O'Connell nor city officials said they were aware of any injuries or accidents involving the Conference Bicycles, which travel at a top speed of 15 miles per hour and operate on the weekends from 10 a.m. to 11:30 p.m. The bikes are distributed by Woburn's ScooterBug Inc. ***********************************************************
If you're questioning the safety of these vehicles, check out this video. I can see their value as a team-building exercise in a controlled environment. However, if they're operating in traffic, which it appears they are doing from the photos on the web site and the video, I would be concerned about safety.
Monday, June 18, 2007
Boston throwing out party bikes
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3 comments:
I strongly disagree with the opinion that conference bikes are dangerous, especially in a downtown area. On the contrary, they're just as safe if not safer than regular pedicabs because passengers and riders are seated high above vehicular traffic. They're also very efficient in the way they move large numbers of people through the city. While a pedicab or CO2-emitting regular cab transports two or three (at most), a conference bike can move six people from point A to point B. And I'm not dissing pedicabs. I love the regular pedicabs, but they are definitely not safer than a conference bike.
The mayor of Boston is making a huge mistake. My sympathies to Rick O'Connell. He's getting screwed.
In Minneapolis, I'm the only licensed pedicab operator. Hopefully that will change. There's a big market here for both pedicabs and conference bikes: www.cycleseven.com
I advocate putting seatbelts on pedicabs, which is very easily done...but what can you do for a bike seat with no backing to it?
A bicycle seat is safer than a bench with a backing to it? 15mph top speed is safer than ~30mph on a downtown road? (not to mention acceleration) Single speed at ~400lbs is safer than 21 speeds at 100-200lbs? The inability move to narrow shoulders? The inability to quickly and safely merge? The inability for motorists to discern a front/back/sides or where to look for signals on a circular bike? The inability to get out of the way of a Police Car/Ambulance? Are you serious? I could go on and on.
I feel bad for PedalParty, they're a nice group of people, but conference bikes are VERY impractical for these streets in particular.
-Boston rickshaw driver who sees it first hand every day
Conference bikes don't operate in fast moving traffic. Thats not the point of them. It would also be really stupid. I avoid road use as much as possible but in certain areas of glasgow where its flat and car speeds are low I have never had a problem.
Regulation is good. I follow whats appropriate for me in the LPOA guide.
Should they ever be involved in a collision, the passengers are pretty well within the foot print of the bike and construction is stronger than a pedicab. Indeed much of it seems heavier built than the 3.5 ton Transit Van I move my Cbike around in!
Any city that discourages tourist attractions and new business seriously needs new leadership or it will find itself dropping off the world stage.
Iain
www.cosybike.co.uk
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