Street Justice in L.A.

L.A. sees big jump in bike thefts, prompting some vigilante justice

Some bike messengers last month took justice into their own hands when they caught two suspected thieves, teenage boys who attended a local Catholic high school. According to police, the messengers stripped down the teens to their boxer shorts before taking their cellphones, backpacks and clothes.

“They meted out street justice. We don’t condone street justice. They never threatened them. But they made it clear: don’t mess with another person’s property,” Los Angeles Police Lt. Paul Vernon said. “This incident and the arrests are the tip of the iceberg when comes to people stealing bicycles.”

Read the rest of the article at LATimes.com

Restrictions were bound to happen

 

Pepsi Center, Denver Colorado
(Photo © 2005 Jackie Shumaker)

 

We've taken some heat for the article about pedicab restrictions at two local venues that appeared in Saturday's Denver Post. When reporter Ann Schrader called, Greg gave her names and numbers for numerous other people to interview including current drivers and fleet owners. Whether she did or not, I don't know.

Most of the complaints have come from drivers who haven't been around nearly as long as we have. They're too new to remember "how it used to be," and haven't watched the deterioration of courtesy and service among drivers. Granted, we aren't running a large fleet any longer, but we still talk with many of the drivers and keep our fingers on the pulse of what's happening downtown. And you don't have to be a driver to see the chaos around certain locations in town. That said, let me provide a little history lesson.

How pedal cab drivers should behave at the Pepsi Center and other venues is and old argument. There are numerous posts about the subject on this blog...
Wake up and Repent!
Things that Matter

All you have to do is click on a related category like turf wars, regulations, or sporting events, and you'll see that pedicab etiquette is an issue in cities worldwide.

In the years that we ran a large fleet of cabs, we went to bat for the drivers more than once. We tried to convince the management of the Pepsi Center and Invesco Field that pedicabs were a good thing, a means of green transportation, valuable to the patrons and the venue. Each time, year after year, it became harder to convince them to trust the drivers to manage themselves, especially as complaints from customers continued to come in. We'd settle on a set of rules, then drivers would refuse to abide by them saying, "We never agreed to that, so we're not gonna go along with it." We had some control over our own drivers, but not over independents or those who rode for other companies.

The decision was inevitable. We weren't surprised when we got a call from one of our old drivers telling us that free access of pedicabs to the Pepsi Center was being shut off. The Pedicab Gauntlet, as we called it, was about to be dismantled.

During the 2008 Democratic National Convention in Denver, pedicab drivers were heroes. In many cases, they were the best and only way to quickly get from one location to another downtown. Demand was so high during the event that drivers had to hide just to grab a bite to eat. Even the police and security, including those at the Pepsi Center and Invesco Field, said the drivers were great.

How things change. One day you're the hero; the next day you're the heel.

The Downtown Denver Partnership has supported pedicabs for years, realizing their value in bringing passengers directly to businesses, serving as ambassadors for the city, and adding ambiance to downtown. But they watch what goes on, especially during special events, and now record violations that can impact fleet owners' ability to renew licenses.

Who knows? Maybe the Pepsi Center instituted these restrictions with the intent of bringing in their own fleet of pedal cabs. We've heard that rumor for a couple of years now. The parking management company has connections to a fleet outside of Denver that told me they were planning to bring their cabs into downtown. I'm sure it would be much easier for them to restrict access to Pepsi Center property to their own drivers who have to follow their rules.

In our experience, pedicab drivers are a tough bunch to manage. They are, by nature, fun-loving, charming, independent and rebellious. They like a job that lets them do whatever they want whenever they want, and don't understand or easily adapt to rules of the business world. During our tenure, we had strict hiring and training protocols; however, it was difficult to constantly monitor the behavior of drivers spread out across the downtown area. Once a new driver was let loose, we had to trust that our training would kick in and safety and service would be the priorities.

Currently, many of the drivers have never had any real training. The City doesn't require any sort of test to get a pedal cab owner or driver license, although it does require a clean driving record, a background check, and liability insurance. Not all owners provide drivers with training, requiring nothing more than a license from the City. There are now, and always have been, unlicensed drivers pedaling the streets of Denver.

Drivers who are part of a fleet are not employees; they aren't even independent contractors because they aren't paid directly by the company. They pay rent for the cab and keep anything they make in fares and tips. When there's a problem, they expect management to solve it for them rather than banding together and solving it themselves.

Overall, most drivers want all the rewards but little, if any, responsibility.

Don't get me wrong. There are some really awesome pedal cab drivers in Denver and across the country. They take good care of their passengers, follow the rules of the road, and really care about the future of the industry in their city. The entire group cannot and should not be judged by the actions of a few bad apples. But it's the bad apples that upset the apple cart. When pedicabbing becomes more about the money and less about the fun of getting paid to ride a bike and the camaraderie that comes from working the street scene together, quality of service is bound to deteriorate.

It's unfortunate that the nightly income will likely be reduced, especially now in this bad economy when drivers have seen fewer rides and smaller tips already. For some, pedicabbing is their main or only source of income. Many of them rely on sporting events and concerts to make money. I expect some drivers will leave pedicabbing now that the easy money to be made at the Pepsi Center is curtailed.

I hate to say it, but I have to say it: We told you so.

Denver pedallers restricted at lucrative venues

Pedicabs' free range curtailed at Pepsi Center, Mile High

To tame the pedicab pandemonium on Denver's streets, two sports venues have worked out some rules of engagement with the pedal pushers.

Some drivers say the new rules are cutting into their nightly pay for propelling passengers on the three-wheeled vehicles. But other drivers and officials of the Pepsi Center and Invesco Field at Mile High say that a growing number of aggressive drivers brought the changes upon themselves.

"In all honesty, it's chaos out there," said Greg Duran, who has operated a pedicab company and been a driver for half a dozen years.

Complaints were mounting about pedicabs flying through parking lots, cutting across grass, careening through crowds on sidewalks and being a bit too zealous in soliciting customers.

"I'm sure it was just a few guys, but it created the feeling for change," said Scott Gales, spokesman for Kroenke Sports Enterprises, which owns the Pepsi Center.

Pepsi Center officials and pedicab representatives met to discuss the situation and collaborated to reach the new rules.

In changes that took effect Tuesday, pedicab drivers must drop off or pick up passengers in a specific area near the Pepsi Center's east entrance. No more driving in the parking lots, on the "Ring Road," on what the Pepsi Center refers to as "the Spine" — the sidewalk that leads up to the main entrance — or to other entrances.

"We pretty much had free rein to go anywhere," said Stephen Drenen who has been driving for a year and a half.

Now, Drenen says, driving a pedicab — his sole source of income — means making $6 for one ride at a Pepsi Center event instead of $60 for several rides. The going rate is two bucks a block.

"Every pedicab is in that one spot rather than spread out," Drenen said. "We're working one door rather than five, and people don't go out the same doors and won't walk around the building to where we are."

Duran, who owns one of 21 pedicab companies licensed to operate in Denver, disagrees.

"The rules are nothing unreasonable," Duran said. Pepsi Center officials "gave the drivers the opportunity to manage themselves, but there are quite a few independents who don't abide by the rules, and they lost their privilege."

Fanning the fire, Duran said, is the increase in pedicab drivers' numbers. Denver records show individuals licensed to pedal passengers nearly doubled between 2007 and 2009, in large part due to the 2008 Democratic National Convention.

Denver police say there are no big pedicab problems, and downtown boosters call them needed transportation.

"People think they are fun, and they add character and ambiance downtown," said Sarah Neumann of the Downtown Denver Partnership.

Over at Invesco Field at Mile High, new rules went into effect for the last two Bronco games in December.

"Fans expressed concerns throughout the season, so we monitored it for a few games," said Matt Shine, Invesco's parking and site manager.

Pickup and dropoff points were set at Lot C on the stadium's west side and on the east side near the rock garden and the Bronco bridge to the light-rail station. A pedicab lane was marked on the bridge.

From The Denver Post

Happy Christmas and a Merry New Year

It is sad that this blog has died in such an unceremonious fashion.

Best wishes to those that are still pedaling in the New Year.

Pedicab driver not charged in death (...yet?)

Pedicab driver not charged in San Diego death

SAN DIEGO—Prosecutors in San Diego have decided not to file charges against a pedicab driver whose passenger died after she fell from his pedal-powered vehicle.

District attorney spokesman Paul Levikow said Thursday that 23-year-old Sukru Safa Cinar (SOO-kroo SAH-fah see-nahr) will be released from jail pending further investigation.

No other information was immediately available about the decision not to charge him.

Cinar was arrested Tuesday on suspicion of involuntary manslaughter after 60-year-old Sharon Miller slipped from his pedicab and struck her head on the ground.

Miller, who was visiting San Diego from Illinois to attend an education conference, was declared dead Sunday, a day after the accident.

San Diego pedicab driver released from jail

Pedicab driver in fatality to be released today

SAN DIEGO — A pedicab driver who was arrested after a passenger fell to her death July 4 was expected to be released from jail Thursday afternoon, a spokesman for the District Attorney's Office said.

Prosecutors need more time to investigate the circumstances that led to the death of the Illinois tourist before deciding what charge or charges, if any, Sukru Safa Cinar, 23, will face, said spokesman Paul Levikow.

The Turkish native was arrested Tuesday on suspicion of involuntary manslaughter.

Sharon Miller, 60, a retired teacher, fell while Cinar was swerving the pedicab from side to side in what authorities said was an unsafe motion along the Martin Luther King Promenade. She fell and hit her head on the ground.

The city bans bicycles and pedicabs from the promenade, which is a pathway on the north side of the trolley tracks that runs parallel to Harbor Drive near First Avenue.

The accident prompted four San Diego City Council members on Tuesday to call for tighter regulations on pedicab operators.

Council members Marti Emerald, Kevin Faulconer, Todd Gloria and Tony Young want the council to swiftly approve regulations drafted by City Hall staffers over the past year.

Since at least 2000, pedicab operators have been required to register with the city. Each vehicle must have seat belts, but riders are not required to wear them.

Police said the pedicab involved in Saturday's fatality did not have seat belts. Cinar leased the vehicle from Shakespeare Pedicab of San Diego, authorities said.

Miller was in town with her husband, who was attending the National Education Conference at the San Diego Convention Center.

Chain snatching

Chain snatchers give Kanpur cops sleepless nights

A spurt in chain snatching incidents in Kanpur has forced the IG (Kanpur Range) G L Meena to issue a stern warning to all police personnel in the region.

Meena has asked DIG (Kanpur) Neera Rawat to suspend station officers, sub-inspectors and constables, if they fail to tackle incidents of chain snatching in their areas.

“The DIG has also been instructed to keep note of the timings when chain snatchers are most active,” Meena told The Indian Express on Friday.

Incidents of chain snatching have been on rise for the last few months and over 100 cases of chain snatching have been reported so far this year.

In June alone, 19 cases of chain snatching were reported and the first 10 days of July have witnessed eight such cases. (See Box)

In some of the incidents, women were also injured. On July 4, a woman sustained head injuries after she was thrown out from a moving rickshaw in Saket Nagar by chain snatchers. Around two years ago, a woman lost her life after she was thrown out of a moving auto-rickshaw.

The police have arrested 26 chain snatchers and claimed to have solved 16 of the 19 chain snatching incidents that took place in June. Meena is hopeful of improving the situation.

“Several new gangs and youngsters, who do not have a criminal background, are active, and we have to keep a tab on them too,” Meena said.

Police patrolling, meanwhile, has been increased in places where number of cases have been reported.

The cases
* July 3: A gold chain was snatched near Sachan Guest House
* July 4: A woman was pushed from a moving rickshaw and her chain was snatched in Saket Nagar
* July 5: Three incidents of chain snatching were reported from PPN College, Bramha Nagar and Panki railway station
* July 6: Another incident of chain snatching in Saket Nagar
* July 8: Chain snatchers made a woman their target in Kidwai Nagar
* July 9: A gold chain was snatched from Barra area

Object of devotion

A new image for rickshaws

Alok Gupta

This rickshaw has given me great respect. I worship it." Umesh Ram's face glowed as he talked about his object of devotion. It is bright red with a cushioned black seat and a first aid box hanging in front. It also has a pouch to hold newspapers and there is Karishma Kapoor smiling at passengers from a biscuit advertisement.

Five years ago, Kumar travelled 150 km to Patna from the outskirts of Jhajha, a small town in Bihar's Jamui district. After a year of labour at construction sites he could not earn enough to send money home. Then someone introduced him to a rickshaw-owner. Things improved a little. The rickshaw-puller still slept on pavements, but he could save a little to send home after paying his vehicle's irritable owner a daily rental of Rs 25.

Kumar took the daily abuses from passengers and police in his stride. He had very few options. But that was till last year. "In 2008, the babus of the Samman Foundation gave me a new rickshaw. They taught me traffic rules and told me to avoid the main roads. I learnt to ply my vehicle on feeder roads.

Passengers rarely abuse me now," Kumar said. He is one of the one lakh rickshaw pullers registered with the Patna-based Samman Foundation. "Rickshaws need to be taken seriously as a business opportunity," Irfan Alam, founder and chairperson of the foundation, asserted. Samman's project launched two years ago draws heavily on advertisement revenue. Two feet by two feet advertisements painted on the back of a rickshaw fetch between Rs 40 and Rs 800 a day. "We pay 33 per cent of the revenue to the pullers. We don't charge them any rent. But every week, rickshaw pullers pay Rs 15 to Rs 25 as maintenance charges," Alam said. Cellphone operators Idea, Airtel and Aircel and Bisleri, Punjab National Bank, and Priya Gold Biscuit have signed advertising contracts with Samman.

Kumar makes between Rs 300 and Rs 800 every month from advertising revenues. This is besides the Rs 4,000-Rs 4,500 he makes from his passengers. "My monthly earnings have gone up by Rs 2,000. I have a bank balance of Rs 500 and the Samman Foundation has got me an insurance policy. And somewhere deep down, there is also a feeling that Irfan and his team will help in times of crisis." About 500 km away in Kolkata's busy Purna Cinema crossing, standing besides a rickshaw kiosk, Reena Das exudes similar confidence. Das's world came crashing two years ago when an accident left her husband paralysed. "He was the sole bread-earner of the family. We were penniless after he was rendered bed-ridden. Then one day I saw an advertisement put up by Project Sukanya and thought it was time to step out of home. Since then, this rickshaw kiosk has become my life. My husband is recovering slowly," she said, stopping briefly to wipe a tear.

It's founder Aparna Banerjee described Project Sukanya as "an Indianized version of retail chain". Banerjee, management graduate from Jamshedpur's Xavier Labour Relations Institute (XLRI), launched the project in Kolkata in 2005 as an employment generation scheme for women. "I did an MBA in logistics and supply chain management and realized I wanted to become an social entrepreneur. I then did a course in anthropology understand human rights issues. I realized that women need financial independence to get freedom from restrictions, abuse and social taboos," Banerjee said, adding that she struggled to complete her studies due to severe financial constraints.

Very early in her endeavour, Banerjee realized marketing was the bottleneck of small scale enterprises. "I found retail the only option. But setting up huge retail space was beyond my capacity.

Condolences to the family and friends of Sharon Miller

On behalf of the entire pedal cab industry, we'd like to offer our condolences to the family and friends of Sharon Miller. This was a very sad and tragic accident. Our hearts go out to them and our prayers are with them in their grief.

As a highly-regarded teacher, Mrs. Miller sounds like a wonderful woman who will be greatly missed by her husband, children, family and community.

Posts and comments by Sharon Miller's friends:

"My family and I loved Sharon and her family. Our thoughts and prayers are with them all. We shared many special events when my older daughter and Missy went to school together and I will always treasure getting to know her and her family."

"What a wonderful woman she was - inspired so many to be great and always had a smile. Praying for Gary, Alison and Missy through the terrible time. Heaven received an angel. We will miss you Sharon."

Any death should always serve as a reminder that life is fragile. Hold your loved ones a little closer and don't forget to tell them how much they are loved.

Fatal accident impacts Illinois community

Former local teacher dies in California accident
By ELLE MOXLEY
THE STATE JOURNAL-REGISTER

SHERMAN, IL — The Williamsville School District is mourning the loss of Sharon Miller, a retired teacher from Sherman who died in San Diego over the weekend from head injuries sustained in a pedicab accident.

Miller, 60, was in San Diego to attend a National Education Association conference with her husband, Gary, a member of the NEA board of directors who teaches science at Williamsville High School.

“It’s a terrible loss for our school community,” Williamsville Superintendent Dave Root said Monday. “She’s always been a friend of the district, and her family has been dedicated to the Williamsville-Sherman area for years.”

Miller and another female passenger were riding in a pedicab in San Diego’s Marina District shortly before noon Saturday when the driver began swerving back and forth, San Diego police reported. Miller slipped out of the pedicab and struck her head on the pavement.

She was taken to the University of California San Diego Medical Center and diagnosed with a head injury. According to the San Diego medical examiner’s office, she was declared brain dead and taken off of life support pending organ donation on Sunday evening.

Root said Miller started as a substitute teacher in the Williamsville School District in 1978. She began teaching first grade in 1982. After retiring in 2005, Miller continued to sub in the district.

The Millers have two daughters, Missy and Alison, and a granddaughter, Katelyn, who was born just five weeks ago.

Family members flew to California to be with Gary Miller before his wifewas removed from life support.

The accident remains under investigation. A spokeswoman for the San Diego Police Department said it is likely a warrant will be issued for the pedicab driver’s arrest.

An "unsafe movement"

Weekend pedi-cab incident claims woman's life
Dave Thomas
San Diego News Examiner

A woman visiting San Diego was fatally injured in a pedi-cab accident over the weekend.

According to authorities, a pair of women were being transported in a pedi-cab along Harbor Drive Saturday morning around 11:40 a.m. when the driver made an “unsafe movement" as police described it.

The accident sent Sharon Miller, 60, of Illinois, to the ground, where she hit her head on the sidewalk. The other woman riding in the pedi-cab did not sustain any injuries. Police reported that the pedi-cab in this particular incident did not have seat belts.

Miller's family chose to leave the woman, who was in town with her husband for an education conference, on mechanical support pending organ donation, according to the Medical Examiner's Office.

Police reportedly plan to charge the driver of the ped-cab, who is in the country from Turkey on a visa, with a number of misdemeanor charges. Authorities say the driver, who was not identified, may be charged this week with vehicular manslaughter.

While accidents do happen, this was one that should not have taken place.

Hopefully city officials will take a good look at this accident and make sure that those individuals operating pedi-cabs are obeying the laws and that their equipment, including seat belts on all pedi-cabs, are up to date.

While the majority of pedi-cab operators do things by the book, it just takes one event like this to shed light on making sure all rules and regulations are being followed.

Unfortunately in this accident, it doesn't look like that was the case.

Regulations coming to San Diego?

No surprise here. The pedicab industry in San Diego is a mess, and has been a problem for years. The city has been talking about regulations for quite awhile. Maybe they'll actually do something now, but this time it won't be pretty.

Council members seek pedicab regulations
Driver is arrested, may face involuntary manslaughter charge

Four San Diego City Council members yesterday called for a clampdown on pedicab operators, citing the deadly ride of a 60-year-old tourist on Saturday.

Police said Sharon Miller, a retired teacher from Illinois, was fatally injured when she fell out of a moving pedicab on a downtown promenade and hit her head on the ground.

Driver Sukru Safa Cinar, 23, of Turkey, was arrested yesterday in connection with the incident. He was to be charged with involuntary manslaughter.

Councilwoman Marti Emerald and her colleagues said the death underscores the need to step up oversight of an industry popular with tourists and day-trippers.

“This was our greatest fear – that someone would be injured or killed in a pedicab,” Emerald said at an afternoon news conference.

Council members Emerald, Kevin Faulconer, Todd Gloria and Tony Young want the council to swiftly approve regulations drafted by City Hall staffers over the past year.

Among other things, the proposed regulations would:

Ban the three-wheeled taxis from sidewalks and from streets with speed limits greater than 25 miles per hour.

Require pedicab operators to carry proof of insurance and clearly display fare rates on each vehicle.

Cap the number of pedicabs allowed to operate in San Diego at 250. City officials say more than 400 of the taxis work the streets during the summer.

Limit the number of pedicabs allowed to operate in high-traffic areas of Petco Park, Balboa Park, downtown, Ocean Beach, La Jolla, Pacific Beach and Mission Beach.

Since at least 2000, pedicab operators have been required to register with the city. Each vehicle must have seat belts, but riders are not required to wear them.

Emerald, chairwoman of the council's public safety panel, said more needs to be done. Her committee last month endorsed the proposed regulations.

“I think the industry has been regulated too casually,” she said.

Faulconer agreed. “Pedicabs are part of what makes San Diego special,” he said. But, he added, the city must do more to make sure the vehicles are safe.

Police said the pedicab involved in Saturday's fatality did not have seat belts. The driver was reportedly swerving through Martin Luther King Promenade when Miller was tossed from the vehicle.

The city bans bicycles and pedicabs from the promenade.

Guy Swanger, the city's acting assistant police chief, said Cinar arrived in the United States on June 18 on a four-month visa. Swanger said Cinar leased the vehicle from Shakespeare Pedicab of San Diego.

Shakespeare representatives were unavailable for comment yesterday.

Inexperienced driver involved in SD pedicab fatality

Pedi-cab driver may face misdemeanor manslaughter charge

GASLAMP QUARTER, CA - The trolley, the traffic and pedi-cabs are part of the downtown San Diego scenery.

Pedi-cab driver Tuncan Turan is new to his job. He's an international student visiting from Turkey and only been operating his pedi-cab for a week.

"It's very enjoyable, but it's too hard," Turan said.

And Turan admits it's also a dangerous job. On July 4th, a pedi-cab accident takes the life of 60-year-old Sharon Miller, a retired teacher from Sherman, Illinois. San Diego Police spokesperson, Monica Munoz, said Miller flew off the pedi-cab when the driver, 23-year-old Sukru Safa Cinar, swerved quickly. The tragic news travels fast among the pedi-cab crowd.

"Very unfortunate, very fortunate," Pedi-cab driver Emmanuel Baidoo said.

Police say the accident happened on the Martin Luther King Promenade, a pedestrian pathway, that borders the trolley tracks. It's an area that prohibits pedi-cabs and bicycles. Police say the driver, a 23-year-old from Istanbul, Turkey was driving unsafe and performing serpentine pattern on the sidewalk and the passengers were swaying from side to side.

"If you've never ride it before, when you're riding, this steer tends to go this way. But if you know how to ride it and how to control it, it goes straight," Baidoo said.

Allyson Chick is a second-grade teacher from Tennessee. She's attending the National Education Associate and said the convention has taken on a somber mood.

"When it's one of our own family members who has passed away, it's a definite tragedy," Chick said.

Pedi-cab drivers say the general rule is no more than 3 people can sit in a cab. And some cabs have seat-belts and others don't have them. But they reassure riders they only travel five miles per hour.

"It's safe because we're not going fast," Turan said.

Helene Trannenberg is visiting San Diego with her husband and daughter from France. The family is thinking twice before hopping on one.

"The problem is there are a lot of cars on the road and it can be dangerous," Trannenberg said.

Pedi-cab drivers admit it can be a dangerous ride if their colleagues aren't paying attention to the rules of the road.

"It depends on the driver who's taking you. He should be very cautious," Baidoo said.

San Diego officers with the traffic division are still preparing their report and will submit it to the city attorney's office. The driver, 23-year-old Sukru Safa Cinar, may face a misdemeanor manslaughter charge. Police say he's an independent contractor, not working for a company. Cinar has only been in the United States for a few months with a work visa. At the time of the accident, he does have a permit to operate the pedi-cab. He wasn't arrested at the scene.

Bicycle Roulette in San Diego?

Pedicab Accident Leaves Tourist Dead

Monday, July 6, 2009 - For several months now KUSI's Michael Turko has been exposing big problems with pedicabs in downtown San Diego. Now Turko says a pedicab accident that apparently could have been avoided has taken the life of a visitor from Illinois.

City officials keep trying to tighten up the regulations on pedicab operators, but downtown residents says the situation is out of control. Here's a case where a foreign operator accused of violating several existing regulations lost control, and a tourist got killed. That's why a lot of people say riding in a pedicab downtown is like playing bicycle roulette.

Another pedicab fatality, this time in San Diego

Woman dies after pedicab accident in downtown San Diego

A 60-year-old retired teacher from Illinois has died from a head injury after falling from a pedicab in downtown San Diego, the medical examiner reported today.

Sharon Miller was in San Diego to attend the National Education Assn. convention. She hit her head on the street after the pedicab in which she and another woman were riding tipped over late Saturday.

The pedicabs are a popular mode of transportation among tourists visiting downtown.

Unfortunately, this isn't the first pedicab fatality in the U.S. If you haven't kept up and are wondering why I said "another pedicab fatality" read about the accident in Seattle last year that resulted in a fatality.

Q: Do you text?

Do you use text messaging as a regular form of communication? If you're a pedal cab driver, you probably do. If you're a pedal cab fleet owner, you probably don't. If you're a passenger/customer, you may or may not. At least, that's my perspective.

The majority of our drivers are in their 20s/30s and use text messaging on a daily basis. For some, this is their main form of communication (not including face-to-face). They'll fire off a text almost faster than you can read it.

A lot of passengers, especially if your cabs cater to the night scene, use text messaging as well. Although the older crowd may feel that a quick phone call works better.

As for fleet owners, well... most that we've talked with use text messaging very little if at all. However, there are some exceptions, so I'll admit up front that I'm speaking in broad generalities. If you don't text, you may want to start. It's a quick and easy way to stay in contact with your drivers, plus you'll have a temporary record of messages.

If you're not convinced, here are some reasons you may want to consider using text messaging:

• Texting is a much better way (than a phone call) to send phone numbers and addresses.
• Some drivers respond better to text messages; others to email. We send both to be sure we cover all our bases.
• If we've put out a critical email, we'll send an alert by text message telling them to check their email.
• If you need nothing more than a yes or no response, texting is the best way to get that. You'll have a record to look back on.
• Most phones are set up to send out text messages to groups, almost like a broadcast fax or email to a group. You can put your lead drivers in a special message group.
  
• If you need to remind drivers about an important event, like a meeting or special ride, text them. It's quick and easy.

Now, imagine if there was a way to use texting to communicate with your passengers. It is possible, but more challenging. There's a simple way drivers can employ texting with passengers. Drivers who give their cell number to passengers can have passengers call or text when they're ready to be picked up. Even if the text costs you a little, it's worth it if you can get more rides.

Text messaging used to be a pretty pricey feature in cell phone plans, but it's becoming more common and less expensive. Many plans include unlimited text messaging for little or no additional cost. Talk to your wireless phone provider about available options.

Please take time to answer the poll in the left-hand column.

Penal Tour de France

Le Prison Break: Tour de France Convict Style
posted at Wend Blog

The famed cycling tour that takes some of cycling’s best across the varied terrain of France commences on July 4th, but another group is finishing up their own Tour this Friday: inmates.

The “Penal Tour de France” kicked off on June 4th and has taken some 200 French prisoners and 100 cycling guards through 15 stages around the country.

The 2,300 kilometer race is intended to help the inmates regain confidence in themselves and help prepare them for a return to normal life. Riding in a two week bicycle race might not seem like much of a “normal life” but taking part in such an event can help the inmates “reintegrate into society by fostering values like effort, teamwork and self-esteem,” says prison official Sylvie Marion.

The prisoners, who are all serving jail terms between 5 and 10 years, are not ranked, cycle in a pack, and for obvious reasons, are not allowed to partake in breakaway sprints. No word on whether the prisoners will be ended their two week athletic venture at the foot of the Arc de Triomphe.

Check out this video about the cycling prisoners over at the BBC.

Montreal's Bike-Sharing Program

Montreal Inaugurates Continent’s Most Ambitious Bike-Sharing Program

“The user takes a bike from one of the stations, pays at an automated pay station, and drops the bike off at any pay station in the network. The bike becomes another mode of urban transport unto itself, a practical, economical, ecological and healthy alternative to energy-guzzling vehicles.”

Bixi is nothing if not ambitious. The service is starting out with 3,000 of the specially designed bicycles distributed among 300 closely-spaced stations in its downtown core. But while it was directly inspired by Vélib, the service that started in Lyon, France, before moving to Paris, Bixi differs in many respects.

Chief among them was a decision by the city to run the system itself, rather than use an outside operator, and to fund it with fees from users rather than relying on advertising. André Lavallée, the municipal politician who championed the Bixi, said that the advertising opportunities are more limited in Montreal, while city ownership allowed greater coordination with the city’s bus and subway system.

Read the rest of the story at the New York Times...

Small is the new Big

I know this story isn't about pedicabs, but it made me think of all those minimalist pedicabbies living in tiny spaces. I don't know about the living habits of drivers in other cities, but we've had drivers who share a house communally with several other people. Some rent spaces as small as a closet, just to have a place to sleep and store a few belongings. We've been invited to some of the house parties which are always a lot of fun; like a big family with people coming and going throughout the evening. One particular house in Denver is known as "Pitchfork". Housemates have recruited each other into pedicabbing so much that every member of the house was a pedicab driver at one time or other.

He lives big in tiny digs: West Sider wins award for smallest, coolest pad
NYDailyNews.com

It's the biggest little honor out there.

A Manhattan man's 210-square-foot pad on the upper West Side earned the title of New York's smallest, coolest apartment from apartmenttherapy.com.

Kevin Patterson, 32, snagged first place in the "teeny tiny" division for his itsy-bitsy home on West End Ave.

"I moved here from a place that was four or five times this big," he said, explaining that he then sold off most of his belongings to remodel the studio into a mini-gem.

Patterson, a project manager at a real estate development firm, makes the most of his $1,550-a-month space with creative hidden storage and careful use of color, lighting, and mirrors.

There are drawers built into the bed, bins under couch cushions, shelves built into the walls, and even space behind a giant mirror to store a broom and cleaning supplies.

"Things are hidden everywhere," he said, confessing, "I'm actually not that tidy, but when people come over I can throw everything in cabinets."

To make the space look larger, the walls and furniture are mostly white, with just "pops of color here and there so it isn't so bland." Even the books are arranged by color.

As for decoration, Patterson keeps it simple. "In a space so small, you kind of have to stay minimalist or it gets really claustrophobic," he said.

Highlights include a ceramic Mao statue he picked up at a Chinese street market and a Christo print over the bed, along with framed family photos over the couch.

While his wasn't the most elaborate "teeny tiny" apartment entered into the contest, Patterson thinks he got the most votes because everyone could relate to the space.

"A lot of people were commenting, 'Oh, I have the same bed spread from West Elm or the same couch from Ikea,'" he said. "They said, 'Oh, that's a good idea, I should try that.'"