No Segways on Sidewalks in Colorado

Law Takes Segways Off Sidewalks With Nowhere To Go

Segways are popular options for tours through the Mile High city, but using Segways around the state may soon get a lot tougher.

Gov. Ritter signed the bill into law which bans them on our sidewalks. This law limits where Segways can go.

For nearly 3 years Colorado Adventure Segway Tours has been escorting tourists along the sidewalks of Denver.

"Generally speaking we take up no more room than somebody walking," says Larry Reynolds with Colorado Adventure Segway Tours. "We are quite slow."

The Segways will have to ride in the streets along with the bikes and other modes of transportation.

Maggie Thompson is with the advocacy group Bicycle Colorado which backed the legislation.

"The intention of this law is to allow the users of these vehicles to actually use them someplace," says Thompson. "Currently they are prohibited from all public roadways, roads, bicycle paths and sidewalks.

The owner of the segway tours business disagrees.

"It's been in never-never land in the sense that it didn't fit anywhere," says Reynolds. "Basically we're pedestrians with wheels on."

Blessing bicycles and cyclists

Blessing of the Bicycles
by Nadia Bolz-Weber
(posted on God's Politics, a blog at Sojourners)

Urban biking is not without peril. Many of my parishioners rely almost exclusively on human-powered transportation and do so while competing for road space with motorized vehicles. As a way of acknowledging the inherent goodness of God’s gifts of life and health and the humble but elegant bicycle, we decided to conduct a Blessing of the Bicycles for the entire Denver cycling community. This event was open to all regardless of religious affiliation, race, creed, color, sexual orientation, fat or thin tires, and brand of bike. We even welcome unicyclists and Unitarians. Some may take it more seriously than others but it doesn’t matter. As we swing our thurible of incense over the Schwinns and Cannondales, we do so as a human community seeking God’s blessing and protection for all who brave our city streets on two wheels.

Our prayers:

Present in a world groaning under the excesses of consumption, we acknowledge the inherent goodness of non-motorized human powered transportation and give thanks for the simple beauty of the bicycle. God of life,

Hear our prayer.

Present in a community filled with children, we pray for those learning to ride. Keep them smart, safe, and visible on their neighborhood roads. God of life,

Hear our prayer.

Present in a community filled with strife, we pray for the victims of road rage and bike theft. And we ask for the strength to forgive mean people. God of life,

Hear our prayer.

Present in a world of work, we pray for those who build, repair, and clean our bikes and those who rely on bicycles to earn their living. Bless those who choose to not drive to work and those for whom driving isn’t even an option. God of life,

Hear our prayer.

Present in a community of beautiful diversity, we ask your protection and blessing on all who ride: pedi-cabbies, weekend warriors, athletes, homeless folks, students, children, eco-warriors, bike co-op anarchists, messengers, and all the others who take to the Denver streets, bike paths, parks, and mountains. Keep us safe as we ride. God of life,

Hear our prayer.

We now observe a moment of silence for all who have died while riding …

God of life,

Hear our prayer.

AMEN

Nadia Bolz-Weber is a Lutheran pastor living in Denver, Colorado, where she is developing a new emerging church, House for all Sinners and Saints. She blogs at www.sarcasticlutheran.com and is the author of Salvation on the Small Screen? 24 Hours of Christian Television.

Thanks to pedicabber Andrew Mabe for the heads-up on this one. Ain't Facebook amazin'?

Ray's Indoor Bike Track on Current TV

For a similar story, CBS4 has a video about an indoor velodrome in Boulder, Colorado.

Proof that pedicabs were around at the time of dinosaurs

In the early morning hours of May 14, 2009, a surprising discovery was made in the field of pedal-paleontology. Yes, Suzie, science has proven that pedicabs and dinosaurs existed at the same time. The unaltered photo above is proof.

Okay, I know you're smarter than that. Tuesday morning Colorado Rickshaw drivers delivered dignitaries involved with the Colfax Marathon to a celebratory breakfast at the Denver Museum of Nature and Science. Drivers parked near the T-Rex display, then pedaled their cabs through the museum before exiting.

Dual Purpose: Bicycle and Drum Kit

Busker Turns Bike into Travelling Drum Kit

TreeHugger has been writing about bicycles a lot lately: bike bags, bike sharing, bike moves, but what about bike busking...

David Osborne has turned his bike into a travelling musical instrument. It takes 20 minutes to transform his bike into a drum kit with 5 cymbals, 3 snare drums and a foot pedal. He can transport everything he needs for his gigs on just two wheels.

Puncturekit from woody on Vimeo.

A new arrival from Australia, Osborne said he had "no car, no drums, and a need to create beats." He was sitting in a park looking at his bike and "dreaming of ways to build my environmental friend." Not wanting to carry his drums on the subway, he decided to turn his bike frame into a drum kit which would double as a carrying case for his instruments. He made it out of bowls found in a charity shop, children's toys and old drums. The whole kit and kaboodle can be fitted into two carry-bags and a back pack.

He started busking in the edgy east end of London. His first time out he made enough in an hour to cover a week's rent. Then somehow word spread and next thing he knew, he was playing at the chi-chi Milan Furniture fair.

The buzz gained momentum, as he was riding and beating his drums, and last week he was at the Brighton Fringe Festival. Now he is invited to the holiest of all English festivals--Glastonbury.

NOTE: Contrary to opinions of residents in Colorado, Treehugger.com is not published in Boulder. It is a production of Discovery Communications Inc. who also produces Discovery Channel, Animal Planet, Planet Green (my personal favorite) and others.

The World of Work Bikes on Current TV

Sustainable Development Should Include Pedal Cabs

Sustainable Development Ends Suburban Sprawl

Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger has signd into law SB 375 stating, “This landmark bill takes California’s fight against global warming to a whole new level and it creates a model that the rest of the country and world will use. When it comes to reducing greenhouse gases, California is first in tackling car emissions, first to tackle low-carbon fuels, and now with this landmark legislation, we are the first in the nation to tackle land-use planning. What this will mean is more environmentally-friendly communities, more sustainable developments, less time people spend in their cars, more alternative transportation options and neighborhoods we can safely and proudly pass on to future generations.”

Speaking of highways, in the future communities will be linked with more than highways. Development will be encouraged near effective public transportation. Major transportation systems will be linked with high-speed rail if Californians vote in favor of Proposition 1A, as they are forecasted to do on November 4.

Because of SB 375, at the heart of city plans will be people not cars. More Californians will enjoy easy access to public transportation, safe walking, and more local services. In two years, regional plans and city general plans will include specifics for reducing greenhouse gases and integrating transportation with sustainable development.

Sounds like the perfect environment to utilize pedal cabs. Imagine streets structured to accommodate foot and pedal traffic, not just autos.

Read more about sustainable development at Eco Friendly Mag...

Pedicab stories are a weekly feature in Newburyport

Newburyport Pedicabs is sharing stories in a weekly column titled "From the Driver's Seat" on Newburyport Today. Congratulations on this great promotional opportunity for your business and the pedicab industry around the world.

From the Driver's Seat - Newburyport Pedicab Musings

Newburyport Today is pleased to be able to bring our reader's the comments of Newburyport Pedicab driver Paul Kelly. This is Paul's 3rd season, and he has been kind enough to agree to share his experiences with us.

"Swan Boats are gliding across the waters of the Boston Public Garden, tulips and ice cream stands are opening across the North Shore, and Pedicabs are once again circling the streets of Newburyport. Yes, spring has arrived in New England. Ease back into the rhythm, I tell myself – start with a light cruise up State Street to get your legs under you again. But the hail goes up – “Pedicab, pedicab …” – my first passengers of the night, my first passengers of the season. It’s a couple of young ladies, Rebecca and Lucy, and their dates. The guys talk the gals into going for a ride, and then promptly hop out leaving the girls, blushing, on a ride of their own. The lighter load is OK by me! I’m glad I kept working out at the gym over the winter, but I probably could have used a few more sessions on the stationary bike. (BTW, names have been changed to protect the innocent, or the embarrassed.)

Why do we drive? For me, it is people. Newburyport Pedicab contributes to the Pan-Mass Challenge, which in turn is a fund-raiser for the Dana-Farber Cancer Institute. So in a small way, I am reaching out to those that have been touched by cancer – the survivors, those no longer with us, their families and friends, people I have known, strangers I will never meet. And there is certainly the camaraderie with the other drivers; for many of us, this is our third year pedaling together. But it is also the people that I meet on the street, the connectedness that blooms from the chance encounters. Like the guy that has given up his car and bikes around town for errands and recreation; we admired each other’s wheels. Or the owner of a new wine bar, opening soon next door to our cab garage. And the couple for my final ride of the night, visiting from, of all places, Portsmouth, NH. During the course of conversation, the husband and I discover that we both had worked for the same company many years ago, a very large company; we never crossed paths until now. Yes, spring has come again to Newburyport – it is going to be a good season.

Ciao!

Paul Kelly (in photo above) spends some of his free time pedaling at Newburyport Pedicab where all profits are donated to the Pan-Mass Challenge. To schedule a ride with Paul, call 978-465-1496.

Live a green life -- take a pedicab

Why You Should Want To Live A Green Life.

I am going to say it again - there are plenty of reasons to want to live a green life and absolutely zero not to want to. In fact, I would venture that we could take the word “green” out of the equation and probably get even more people to clean up their act, as folks are getting burnt out on the expression. But with that being said, if you are a human and you are living on our one and only planet, there are no reasons why you shouldn’t want to “go green”, “be sustainable”, or “take responsibility”…at least none that I can think of. Most of the hurdles that used to haunt the environmental movement have been removed - inconvenience, price, style - so most anyone, on any budget, in any city, can start to live a more eco-friendly existence. However, even with all that, some out there are trying to push back against the tide of rising environmentalism for one made up reason or another. So to those people I ask:

Do you not want clean air to breathe? Or would you rather your air have the tint of “Goldenrod” from a Crayon box?

Would you not prefer to see your energy come from renewable sources? Or would you rather see it continue to come from dirty, hard-to-get-at oil from shales in Canada?

Do you want your next car to go 300 miles on a single charge from a rechargeable battery pack? Or do you want archaic car companies to continue to build dinosaurs in the age of technology?

Where do pedicabs fit into the grand green scheme?
Do you want to take mass transit into the city, then be personally escorted to your destination in a safe, non-polluting, human-powered pedicab? Or would you rather drive your gas-guzzling SUV around looking for an expensive parking place, then find a door ding when you return after the event?

Read more reasons to Live a Green Life at The Good Human...

More Rickshaw Confessions in Raleigh

Thought I'd give you more of what's up in Raleigh via Rickshaw...

Raleigh Rickshaw Confessions Promo

old subject

Lets bring up the insurance issue again. Who is freaking out when they get a quote for insurance?Lets say you had a policy in another state that was $1000. You move to a bigger market with no established pedicab market. Quotes come in from two "in the pedicab insurance" businesses and quotes are $4000 and $4600? WHAT?? Is that what all pedicabbers you insure pay? I will not do it. $4000 is a lot of cabbin' just to break even. What is up?

Recycle a Bicycle on Current TV

Raleigh Rickshaw Confessions: What's your New Year's resolution?

NOTE: Sorry I'm posting this so late. The email with the link got lost in my inbox.

Bike-Sharing coming to a city near you?

Denver latest City to offer free public Bicycles, working to improve Bike Lanes & Bike Parking. posted at the ElephantJournal.com

We’ve posted on Bike-Sharing before (and we’re all for Car Sharing, too). But we’re psyched to hear (via our friends at Denver Green Festival) that it’s coming to such a big US city as Denver—for those of us who prioritize the environment, exercise, ease of parking, gas/maintenance/insurance saving$ and fresh air, a city without bike lanes, bike parking and…bikes…just ain’t livable.

From the Press Release:

Mayor Hickenlooper Joins with Civic, Business Partners to Announce Citywide Bicycle Sharing Program / Employee Program To Expand Citywide this Summer

Mayor John Hickenlooper and several community partners announced plans for a citywide bike sharing program - Denver B-Cycle - that will make 500 bikes available to the public at 30 to 40 stations throughout the city beginning this summer. Denver will be one of the first cities nationwide to launch such a comprehensive, bike sharing program, which will be funded initially with a $1 million donation from the Denver 2008 Convention Host Committee.

“The positive feedback we received from the bike sharing program during the 2008 Democratic National Convention was remarkable,” Hickenlooper said. “We are confident Denver B-cycle will prove equally popular while improving our fitness levels and our environment. Our 358 miles of bike routes and trails combined with our 300 days of sunshine make Denver the perfect city in which to launch this citywide bike sharing system.”

Read the rest of the story at the elephantjournal.com...

Visit the B-Cycle web site for more information...

Follow us on twitter

Yes, we're on twitter!