New Operation and Opportunities in Denver

If you didn't notice it in the Westword article posted on April 24, the word is officially out... After managing the day-to-day operations for two and a half years, Teri and Greg have parted ways with Mile High Pedicabs. The separation wasn't pretty, but it was inevitable.

That's right. We're happy and free and launching our own elite fleet of cabs in Denver: Colorado Rickshaw Company. We waited to announce this on the blog until the paperwork (insurance, license, etc.) was completed. We're now rocking and rolling on the streets of Denver and nearby neighborhoods.

We've wanted to expand our business, but the constraints of our relationship with Mile High kept us from moving forward in the direction we wanted. With encouragement and support from operators, drivers and other associates, we're now pedalling our own rickshaw on our own trail.

Thanks to everyone who listened to and advised us. You know who you are.

Compared to our previous management, our initial fleet is fairly small; just 5 pedal cabs. But we have the experience and resources to grow when and how we choose. We've realized that bigger isn't always better. Greg is happy to have the time and energy to be out on the street as a driver again, since that's what he loved in the first place!

Colorado Rickshaw will provide rickshaws for special events, weddings, and tours in addition to transporting passengers at sporting events and around the downtown area. Our focus is on superior customer service, professional business practices, and continuing to support and promote the rickshaw industry.

We established City Cycle Logic (City Cycle Lodging in the Westword article) when we moved into our new facilities last year. Manging over 20 cabs and over 50 drivers never allowed us time to fully develop the concept. In additional to rickshaws, CCL will house green businesses and organizations in a central hub in downtown Denver.

We've formed our own pedal media company: Smart Ads Media. We're selling advertising on rickshaws and arranging events not only in Denver but in cities across North America. If you need help getting advertising on your cabs, or if you're interested in placing your brand on pedicabs, please contact us.

We will continue to provide training and consulting to new and existing operators through Big Tree Pedicab Management and Pedicab University. In fact, you will likely see more in this area of our repertoire.

Things have been pretty hectic over the past few weeks, but progress is being made. We'll keep you informed as we continue to press forward.

Pedicabs in Denver's Westword

Wheels of Fortune (Excerpts)
Steve Meyer wants to sell pedicabs to the world — but is the world willing to go along for the ride?

By Joel Warner Published: April 24, 2008

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Some drivers, like Ed Martin, have been doing this for years; for others, this will be their first summer on the streets. Many are hard-core bike enthusiasts, thrilled by the chance to earn money doing what they love; others simply like the exercise. Experienced drivers willing to hustle can take home several hundred dollars for a long night of work. While most have day jobs, a few regulars drive pedicabs full-time, and they make so much cash they don't like to state their income, fearing the IRS may call.

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Dude, you're bad-ass, man!" exclaims the rider when Martin hits the brakes in front of the ballpark.

[Do we refer to you as "Bad-ass Beefsteak" now?]

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Inventor-entrepreneur Steve Meyer hopes to spread that gospel far and wide. The majority of the pedicabs in Denver were made by his company, Main Street Pedicabs in Broomfield, the largest pedicab manufacturer in North America, having supplied about 1,500 vehicles to cities around the world over the past fourteen years.

But the rolling revolution has experienced a few bumps along the way. Many cities have resisted the vehicles, citing safety concerns and traffic issues, while the pedicab industry itself has struggled with casting off its fly-by-night reputation.

But the industry could get a lift this summer when the Democratic National Convention comes to town. Meyer and others hope pedicabs will be seen as the perfect "green" mode of transportation for an event that bills itself as the "most environmentally sustainable Democratic Convention in history" — not to mention a key solution to possible citywide congestion that could make the Rockies' opener look easy.

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That could soon change, however. Greg Duran, the former manager of Mile High Pedicabs, recently split to start his own business, Colorado Rickshaw, with his wife, Teri Robnett. "It's going to be small, it's going to be elite, and it's going to provide optimum customer service," says Duran, who also runs a pedicab consulting company. The operation, which will include city tours and other novel pedicab uses, will be based at what will be called "City Cycle Lodging" — a bike-related garage and office on Arapahoe Street, a few blocks off the 16th Street Mall.

[Uh hem, that's supposed to be City Cycle Logic, but Lodging works too. "Stay at City Cycle Lodging: the place where pedal cabs and cruiser bikes rest in comfort." A little self-promotion, I know.]
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"It's been the pattern ever since the 1950s," Burden says. "There was a serious attempt to rid downtowns of people, to only allow the returning GIs homes in the 'burbs. And streets were built with various incentives, allowing us to build these massive arterials and giving people a huge amount of money to build in a suburban style." The impact has been tremendous: "Forty years of planning has been focused on taking funding away from bicycling and walking and giving roadways entirely to the automobile," he says.

But now, says Burden, communities are starting to rethink their automobile addictions. European and U.S. cities have set low speed limits in downtowns to make them more amenable to pedestrians. Planners are embracing the notion of "complete streets," where, thanks to features like wide shoulders, special lanes and traffic-calming measures, pedestrians, bicyclists, motorists and transit riders all get equal priority. And in their own small way, pedicabs are playing a role in the transformation.

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"The taxi organizations have spent a small fortune in trying to remove pedicabs," says Chris Smallwood, chairman of the London Pedicab Operators Association and founder of Bugbugs Ltd., a local pedicab company, via e-mail. "Authorities tend to shy away from unknowns and, as such, the pedicab issue goes into the 'too difficult' pile."

There's been similar upheaval in New York City, where pedicab drivers are duking it out with hansom cab drivers over rides around Central Park. The city tourist office has said the pedicabs make the Big Apple look like old-time Hong Kong. And in what the Village Voice dubbed "The Great Pedicab War," the city council voted to prohibit electric-assist pedicabs; to ban all pedicabs from bike lanes, bridges and, if they choose, the entirety of Midtown during high-traffic periods; and to restrict the total number of vehicles to 325 because they believed there were too many pedicabs in too many locations around the city. That decision threatened the jobs of at least 175 drivers and launched pedi-protests through the streets last September; a lawsuit by pedicab companies has so far kept the new rules from going into effect.

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But in other cities, pedicab drivers have complained that officials aren't cracking down hard enough. The freewheeling aura of the pedicabs, which appeals to many of its drivers and makes the rides so colorful, can also lead to chaos in cities where rules aren't regularly enforced.

"It's a clusterfuck right now," says Dan Smith, who sold his sixty-pedicab business in San Diego last summer after 400 or so pedicabs — many of them unlicensed, he says — flooded popular urban destinations like the waterfront, the Gaslamp Quarter and around the ballpark. The city, he says, has done little to stop them. "There was no stopping the number of pedicabs coming in, and there was no way to compete with those who were not legally within the country and did not have insurance," says Smith, who's also run operations in San Francisco and Houston. Earlier this month, city regulators in San Diego promised to address the problem, restricting the number of pedicabs in certain parts of the city, but Smith says the measures are too little, too late.

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There's never been a major accident involving Meyer's cabs in Denver, he points out, and serious incidents in other cities are few and far between. "Cars are the killers," he says. "I could run over someone on a pedicab back and forth for ten minutes and hardly break a bone."

[Great line!!]

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So far, the official response has been less than enthusiastic. "Pedicabs will not be allowed within the perimeter," says agent Ron Perea, head of the Denver Secret Service office and of the Pepsi Center's security border, which has yet to be determined.

Nor will they be used by the Democratic National Convention Committee to transport delegates, media or VIPs to and fro, says DNCC press secretary Natalie Wyeth. Instead, the organization will rely primarily on shuttle buses and a motor pool.

The pedicabs' most willing champion may be the Denver 2008 Convention Host Committee, the local agency charged with preparing the city for the event.

"They are gonna be huge," says David Kennedy, the committee's disability-rights coordinator.

But nothing is set in stone, cautions Parry Burnap, the committee's "director of greening," considering that the security parameters around the Pepsi Center are still undetermined, and insurance issues involving the pedicabs and the committee's other pedal-powered transportation system, its bike program (see story, page 22), have proved tricky. "At one end, we have to deal with security, and at the other, we have to deal with liability," says Burnap. "That's just the nature of change in America."

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And if his pedicabs don't get big billing at the DNC, there's always the FIFA World Cup in South Africa in 2010 and the London Olympics in 2012. Lately, Meyer has turned his attention to non-American cities, many of which are less dependent on cars: "I think the prospects for survival are greater outside the U.S.," he explains.

Once production outgrows his Broomfield digs, he may even consider moving much of the manufacturing overseas to places like China, introducing the next generation of three-wheeled transportation to one of the rickshaw's native lands.

[China? Something you're not telling us, Steve?]

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Read the article in it's entirety...

Q: What did you do to celebrate Earth Day?

There have been celebrations in cities, large and small, to honor Earth Day. (I wonder how many people drove a car to the event.) As part of the green culture, I'm wondering what, if anything, all you rickshaw drivers/owners/operators did to celebrate Earth Day.

How did you celebrate Earth Day this year?

Is this a one-time thing? Or will you be putting new behaviors (like recycling, switching to energy-efficient lightbulbs, bicycling more) into practice throughout the year?

In honor of Earth Day

Pretty much anyone involved with pedicabs agrees that it's a green industry. We tout rickshaws as earth-friendly, zero-emissions, human-powered, pedal-powered, environmental, ecological, low carbon footprint, and all those other buzz words popular in today's global warming lexicon.

In honor of Earth Day, here are a few statistics to reinforce the value of pedal cabs in your community.

60,000,000 - The number of plastic bottles thrown into U.S. landfills each day. It takes 1.5 million barrels of crude oil each year to produce these bottles - translating into enough fuel to run 100,000 cars for a year.

45,000,000 - The number of barrels of oil saved each year by using public transportation.

2,150,000 - The number of barrels of oil saved if 100,000 homes installed eco-friendly geothermal heating systems.

2,000 - The number of coal-fired power plants located in China. (One new power plant goes into operation every 4 to 7 days in China).

13 - The number of pounds a person would lose if they walked one half hour a day instead of riding or driving a motor vehicle. If every US citizen between the ages of 10 to 74 walked this equivalent each day rather than drive, our carbon dioxide emissions would be decreased by 64 million tons.

3,000,000,000 - Gallons of gas wasted each year due to traffic congestion. Since much pollution is caused while traffic is slowed or stalled due to congestion, many people mistakenly think that this pollution can be prevented by decreasing congestion. Unfortunately that doesn't work, as every attempt to facilitate traffic flow simply results in more traffic. More roads seem to lead to more cars on the roads.

117 - Bicycling is 117% more efficient than walking.

54 - Gallons of gas saved annually by using a bicycle to commute four days a week for four miles (each way). [That's approximately $190 US at today's gas prices]

30 - percent of morning traffic caused by parents dropping their kids off at school.

15 - In 2004, fewer than 15% of children and adolescents use active modes of transportation to or from school. In 1969, approximately half of all schoolchildren walked or bicycled to or from school, and 87% of those living within 1 mile of school walked or bicycled. (CDC report)

36 - Walking is 36 times more dangerous than driving, because Americans lack safe places to walk (e.g. trend towards fewer sidewalks and crosswalks). In 59% of cases for which information is available, pedestrians died in places where they could not find a crosswalk.

55 - On average, states spent just 55 cents per person of their federal transportation funds on pedestrian projects in the years studied, less than 1% of their total federal transportation dollars. Average spending on highways came to $72 per person.

100 - The number of bicycles that could be produced using the energy and resources needed to build one medium-sized car.

40 - Percentage of oil used daily in the U.S. by Cars and SUVs.

Resources:
cleanairsys.com
Bicycleuniverse.info
Scorecard.org

Big Reward

A big insurance company just announced they will give $10 million to anyone who can invent a car that get 100 miles per gallon.

Meanwhile, Exxon says they'll give $11 million to anyone who kills that guy.

Conan O'Brien

X Prize Offers $10 Million For A Car That Gets 100 Miles Per Gallon

New York, NY (AHN) - The X Prize Foundation, one of the leading promoters
of space flight competitions, is giving away a $10 Million prize to anyone or
any firm that can can produce the most production-ready vehicles capable of
traveling at least 100 miles on just one gallon of gasoline.

During the New York International Auto Show, the foundation announced
on Thursday that the Progressive Casualty Insurance Company will sponsor the
multi-million purse.

Glenn Renwick, the insurance company's president and chief executive
officer said, "Our future is directly linked to the future of the automobile. If
we can provide a forum for some of the best engineers and scientists in the
world to bring forward new ideas and give them this stage, I think that's
tremendous... Maybe we all win."

So far, more than 60 teams from nine countries have signified interest
to participate. The list includes California electric carmakers Aptera Motors
and Tesla Motors, German diesel carmaker Loremo and a team from Cornell
University.

The two main categories are mainstream and alternative cars. Mainstream
cars must be equipped with four wheels and capable of carrying at least four
passengers while alternative vehicles must have at least three wheels and room
for two passengers.

Qualified teams will race their vehicles in cross-country races two
years from now which will put into test their vehicles' combine speed, distance,
urban driving and overall performance.

The X Prize organizers are still looking for additional sponsors to
beef up the purse.

Eco-friendly vehicles crushed under motor wheels

India has missed a golden opportunity to promote human powered vehicles which would keep the cities clean and give gainful employment to millions.

Sudhirendar Sharma, the Ecological Foundation

India has missed a golden opportunity to promote human powered vehicles which would keep the cities clean and give gainful employment to millions.

Without doubt, there is space and scope for integrating the cycle rickshaw into the urban transport plan. Banning rickshaws on the pretext of congestion on city streets is unreasonable; cars and auto rickshaws owe much more to it.

Cycle rickshaws hold distinct advantage over motorised transport: these are non-polluting and non-violent form of public transport. They neither emit fumes nor ignite road rage! Unless public policy allows cycle rickshaws to negotiate their position, an opportunity to impact change in the city environment in light of ensuing climate change will be missed.

When improved cycle rickshaws, with speed gears and ergonomic design, were launched in Agra in 1997, the future of the poor man’s public transport had started looking up. Ten years later, the status of rickshaw is that of abject ridicule as many cities have banned the movement of this environment-friendly pedal-powered convenience from municipal limits.

While the historic Chandi Chowk in Delhi had banned the ubiquitous rickshaw following the High Court order five years ago (a petition challenging the order is at the Supreme Court), the adjoining satellite township of Noida has recently curtailed its movement from busy sections of this fast developing city.

By contrast, rickshaws are seen as symbols of the future in developed nations – an environment friendly means of transport. On New York’s fifth avenue people could be seen looking around for cycle rickshaws in the evenings. Elsewhere in North America and Europe, cycle rickshaws are finding favour with commuters.

The India Cycle Rickshaw Improvement Project, undertaken by the New York-based Institute for Transport and Development Policy (ITDP), was born out of the realisation that improving the design efficiency of human-powered public transport could be a win-win situation. From improving city environment to providing gainful employment, rickshaws could be a cheaper mode of public transport.

The ITDP designers had deployed a tubular body to reduce the rickshaw’s weight by 30 per cent; designed multi-gear system for easy pulling; and had created low height passenger friendly seating features.

All this, within the cost price of a traditional rickshaw – an estimated Rs 6,000.

Though several rickshaws plying across cities do resemble the improved version, the clones do not carry the essential elements of the design. Says designer Shreya Gadepalli, who had worked on the project, “… as the principal designer it does pain me to see that not all vehicles are as light, safe or comfortable as they could have been; features like multiple gears, which were seen as an extra cost, were done away with.”

With support from USAID, the India Project had contributed to improving rickshaws in many cities. However, the spread of the revolutionary design has ceased since the project came to a close in 2003.

Thanks to an indifferent policy environment and an irresolute rickshaw industry, the innovation aimed at benefiting as many as 4-5 million cycle rickshaws in India has literally been squandered. Against the powerful automobile industry, the unorganised human powered vehicle industry stands little chance to impact change. It is however another matter that the annual turnover by cycle rickshaws is worth Rs 1500 crore.

The modernization of cycle rickshaw in India has already proven to be a more cost effective way of reducing carbon dioxide emissions alongside securing better livelihoods for millions, at no extra burden to the state.
The launch of improved rickshaw in Agra was aimed at reducing harmful emissions from polluting auto rickshaws and cars from the periphery of the one of world’s seven wonders.

However, in the absence of political patronage the inherent potential of cycle rickshaws in generating elusive carbon credits for resource-crunched municipalities is being missed.

Earning carbon credits may not be far-fetched but the fact that rickshaws generate gainful employment for millions should be reason enough for developing countries to be empathetic towards it. The results of the revolutionary design changes had led to an appreciable increase in income for traditional rickshaw, from a low of Rs 75-80 to Rs 110-120 per day.

After deducting the rental costs, the previous earnings were only marginal higher. Interestingly, the new design gave the poor rickshaw drivers a chance to earn more by spending less energy. However, for manufacturers and contractors the enhanced income to poor rickshaw drivers has been of little consequence.

Dhaka's Rickshaws Under Threat

In Dhaka, the capital of Bangladesh, most journeys are made on foot, and bicycle rickshaws are the main form of vehicular transport. Rickshaws are an efficient, non-polluting way to move around, and for many people without job skills, pulling a rickshaw is the only option other than begging or crime.

Under pressure from the World Bank, Dhaka City Corporation announced that from December 17 it plans to ban rickshaws and non-motorised transport from an important road in Dhaka - Mirpur Road from Russell Square to Azimpur. But this is only the test case in a much larger World Bank plan that would eliminate rickshaws from eight major roads (120 km) in this city of ten million people. Pushing rickshaws off the main roads would allow motor vehicles to become the dominant mode of vehicular transport in the city. At the same time, the World Bank is pressuring the Bangladeshi government to pass a law freeing the bank of legal liability for any harm that results from its policies.

Increasing limitations on rickshaws in Dhaka are causing untold hardship to the poorest and most vulnerable segments of society, reducing the mobility of the middle class (particularly women, children, and the elderly), and contributing to air pollution and motorisation. Meanwhile, roads that have completely banned non-motorised transport are still some of the worst affected by traffic jams.

World Carfree Network, concerned organisations in Bangladesh and around the world, and Dhaka's many rickshaw unions are all prepared for action to save the rickshaws. If the most vulnerable members of the population are to go hungry, it will not happen without a fight. Banning rickshaws and building highways while people face starvation is nothing short of a war on the poor.

Why Rickshaws should not be wiped out:

Rickshaws are in many ways the ideal form of transport: they provide door-to-door transport at all hours and in all weather, emit no fumes, create no noise pollution, use no fossil fuels, and employ large numbers of the poorest people.

It is not the rickshaws that are clogging the streets; it's the cars. In 1998, the less than 9% of vehicular transport by car required over 34% of road space, while the 54% travelling by rickshaw took up only 38% of road space. The solution is not to reduce rickshaw transport, but to prevent the growth of car use, by minimising the road space and parking space allocated to cars.

In addition, there are many simple solutions that could benefit both the rickshaw-riding majority and the car-owning minority. Instead of banning rickshaws, the World Bank and local authorities could be (a.) providing dedicated lanes and cycle rickshaw stations that would prevent conflicts between modes, (b.) implementing a programme to help improve the quality of the rickshaws, (c.) supporting cycle rickshaw drivers with training, uniforms, tariff standardisation, etc., (d.) creating cycle lanes throughout the city, and (e.) supporting public transit through bus-only lanes, bus-only turns, etc.

Many rickshaw pullers fled from starvation in the villages. With exceptionally bad floods this year, many villages lack sufficient food and seeds. Cutting back on rickshaw income means directly attacking the ability of the poorest and most vulnerable to survive - not just the rickshaw pullers themselves, but the families and entire villages that they support.

The Mirpur Road is a disastrous choice for a rickshaw ban, as there are no alternate roads for rickshaws, and it is extremely difficult to walk on this road because of the prevalence of street vendors.

Accommodating the automobile over other modes is undemocratic, supporting a wealthy elite while the majority suffers. In the long run, even the rich will not benefit from rickshaw bans, as current policies will lead to more traffic jams, dirtier air and increased noise pollution.

World Bank policy in Dhaka is inconsistent with the spirit of the World Bank's urban transport strategy, Cities on the Move (2001), which is highly progressive and supportive of non-motorised transport.

Rickshaws are the main source of vehicular transport for the middle class. Since there are often not alternatives within their means, a rickshaw ban is a restriction of their freedom of movement, and therefore a violation of Article 13 of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights. (People Action Alert and World Carfree NetworK, The Bangladesh Observer, December 20, 2004)

India Rickshaw Modernization

Unlike many transport initiatives that aim only at improving the environment, ITDP's Indian Cycle Rickshaw Modernization project also cleaned the air and increased employment and income among the poor.

In collaboration with local experts, ITDP developed a series of design innovations that made India’s traditional cycle rickshaw lighter, more comfortable, and easier to handle. ITDP’s modern rickshaw design reduced the weight of the vehicles by more than 30% and a multi-gear system made pedaling much easier.

Surveys among rickshaw operators showed that incomes increased by 20% to 50% because operators were able to work longer, attract new passengers, and because customer satisfaction rose in response to the improved comfort and safety. The project also demonstrated that the modernized cycle rickshaw could attract 19% of its riders from highly polluting, motorized rickshaws, making its impact on greenhouse gas emission reductions quantifiable.

Today, over 300,000 modernized cycle rickshaws are operating in nine of India’s major cities, including Delhi, Agra, Bharatpur, Brindavan, Mathura, Jaipur and Chandigarh. Watch the short video below highlighting the project’s impact:

Based on ITDP’s success in India, we’ve also worked with our partners in Yogyakarta to similarly revitalize the becak as a mode of transportation through improvements to its weight, maneuverability, and passenger and operator comfort. (The becak is a non-motorized, three-wheeled rickshaw, distinct from the Indian rickshaw because passengers sit in front of the driver.) The Yogyakarta Tourism Department directly ordered 50 of the modernized becaks to serve as special tourist vehicles.

During 2005, the modernized becak model was further refined and updated to address the suggestions of the drivers and passengers who used the 2004 model, the Bisma. ITDP provided modernized becaks to transport participants at the Better Air Quality conference held by the Clean Air Initiative for Asia in Yogyakarta in December, 2006. Efforts are currently focused on marketing the current model to reach a wider audience.

Look Ma! No pedals!

Along for the ride
Edinburg man makes his rickshaw a business venture

February 1, 2008

By James Osborne

Late at night, outside your neighborhood bar or eatery, Frank Moses is waiting to give you a ride.

“All over Sierra Leone, people ride in rickshaws,” said the 52-year-old Sierra Leone native.

“Here it’s mostly for fun. Maybe a couple wants a ride around the block. I entertain them, tell them about Africa.”

Better known as “The Frank Man,” Moses is trying to initiate car-loving Valleyites to the joys of the rickshaw, a traditional man-pulled taxi popular across Asia and Africa.

So far business has been sporadic — earlier this week Moses said he’d just come back from a night outside the McAllen Convention Center where he earned about $30 — but it’s done nothing to diminish Moses’s enthusiasm.

A non-stop, philosophizing, entrepreneurial mass of energy, Moses left Sierra Leone in 1980 for Canada. He studied at the University of Winnipeg, where he met his wife, Kathy, and out walking one day saw another man running a rickshaw.

Inspired, Moses borrowed a neighbor’s welding equipment, collected the necessary scrap metal and before long was running his own rickshaw — or rick-e-shaw, as he calls it.

“I even did it in the snow,” he said.

“I designed a gliding rickshaw with runners so I could make more money in the winter.”

Moses moved to Edinburg with his wife and three children in 1998 and now studies at the University of Texas-Pan American.

Whether he’s rummaging through boxes that appear not to have been opened in a decade, looking for a traditional African musical instrument, or dusting off his dancing shoes, Moses is the sort of person who sees a potential business opportunity wherever he turns. Recently he rented a vacant space in Falfurrias with the intentions of putting on a musical and comedy one-man show.

The rickshaw business is but one of Moses’s countless passions, which extend from soccer to drama to preaching against violence.

Moses left Sierra Leone before civil war broke in 1991, a bloody, 11-year conflict that left tens of thousands dead. But he says a number of his relatives were killed, including an aunt who he was told was massacred by soldiers.

“Had I been in Sierra Leone I probably would have died five times already,” Moses said.

James Osborne covers McAllen and general assignments for The Monitor. You can reach him at
(956) 683-4428.

If you’re in the mood for a ride: Call “The Frank Man” at (956) 342-2491

Google Maps - “Bike There” Petition

GoogleMapsBikeThere.org was created to ask Google to help make the world safer for bicyclists by adding bicycle routes to Google Maps. Consider signing the petition, Google just might listen. Adding the “Bike There” option to the Google Maps toolbar of “Drive There” and “Take Public Transit” would be a valuable tool for both everyday and new cyclists to find routes, at home and on the road.

(creatively borrowed from Urban Velo)

Pedicabbie experience after dark

This is a fantastic article written by a pedicab driver in Columbia, Missouri, and published in Urban Velo. I am only posting an excerpt of the article with a link to the rest, but I just think it gives such great insight into his experience, that I encourage you to read it in its entirety. Definitely go to the original article to read it and check out the great photos. Thanks, Johnny in Columbia, for such a thoughtful article.

Pedicabs After Dark (excerpt)
By Johnny Tarr

While the pedicab itself is humble, a ride on it is amazing in contrast. A three-hour shift makes the whole day perfect. I adjust the seat, check the lights, and then the moment I roll off the lot I’m Superman. This must be how it feels to command a kingdom, or walk on water. Traffic treats me royally. Everybody waves back. The cab itself is an eye-magnet that makes its riders instant celebrities.

I feel people on the sidewalks getting excited as the cab rolls down the street, so I invite them on. Some folks hop right on, exclaiming how I’ve come at just the right moment, but some potential riders need convincing. They might give nonsense excuses about how they’re only going two blocks, and surely that’s too near or too far. Or the mothers, bless their hearts, say that they would feel terrible about making me work. Nothing but a show of machismo beats that fallacy, so I tell them I’m the strongest man in Columbia. They don’t really believe me but that’s fine because I believe myself and that’s the important thing, so they get in anyway.

Read the entire article at UrbanVelo.com...

Ed Begley Jr. interviewed in a pedicab

Hold onto your hats, boys and girls! This video clip at The New York Times web site will blow you away! If you have a wind turbine handy this story may actually put energy back on the grid.

Thanks, Peter, for posting this on Rickshaw Forum:
"Ed Begley, Jr., goes for a ride with NY Times science reporter and discusses serious environmental issues on a pedicab.....fresh video reporting on New York Times. And the pedicab is treated seriously."

At the end of the video, Begley lauds pedicabs as "the best way to get around Manhattan."

A Eco-Chat With Ed Begley Jr.

Sheldon Brown has ridden into the sunset

There has been a loss of one of the greatest known wrenches. We all lost Sheldon Brown recently after he suffered a massive heart attack.


Sheldon Brown's website is know as one of the best, and in my opinion is THE BEST, single cycling web resource. Years ago, in the early days of my wrenching when I needed information I would always go to Sheldon's website and almost always find what I needed. His website was one of my first web surfing experiences.

His humor is something that always makes me giggle like a little kid when I read it. I spent hours and hours at his website reading everything I could and still go there when I need more. His writing was always in a style that made it easily understood and approachable for anyone who want to give it a go.

I want to thank Sheldon for all his help for me and the shop I worked in.

May Sheldon always be riding his bike where ever he is with every gear shift smooth, brakes working perfectly and every bearing running smooth as silk. I know every bike he will touch will match what he expects in his own. I for one will miss him as will the entire cycling community. RIP Sheldon Brown

Taxi company wants to be the greenest

We celebrate Metro Taxi for going green!

We met Katie from Metro Taxi the other night and she was nice enough to send me this article. Fortunately in Denver, taxis and pedicabs get along well and we promote and refer each other. We understand the different markets we each serve. In fact, when someone calls directory assistance for a taxi, our number comes up; so we get lots of calls for taxi rides that we can't fulfill. After explaining that we're the bike taxis, we give them the phone number for one or two taxi companies in town.

One evening we were at a local business networking event talking with a rep from Yellow Cab when Greg's cell phone rang. The woman on the other end was looking for a taxi to take her to the airport. Greg politely asked her to hold on for a moment, then turned to the rep and said, "I think you'll want to take this one," as he handed him his phone.

Metro Taxi is Proving Eco-Friendly Investments Pay for Themselves
Contributed by: Katie Facchinello

On Feb. 14, Metro Taxi, Denver's largest taxi service, announced the addition of 10 hybrid taxis to its fleet, bringing the total number of hybrids on the road to 20. Metro Taxi launched Denver's First hybrid taxi in May 2007 and since then has quietly added hybrid taxis, implemented other environmentally friendly practices and nowproclaims to be the greenest taxi company in the country.

Chris Cotter, the Director of Sustainable Initiatives for Metro Taxi explains "no other taxi company in America has made as large of a capital investment in eco-friendly services or implemented such a holistic approach to reducing their overall carbon footprint. We are footing the bill 100% for our eco-friendly investments and happy to report that it's an investment that has benefited our bottom line".

Metro Taxi is eliminating the Culture of Waste at it corporate facility in Denver, Colorado and implementing environmental projects that will pay for themselves in the long-term. Hoping to be a shining example of a small business making environmental investments for a sound economic future.

"Green is hot right now. There's no question consumers are increasingly using environmental factors in making seemingly everyday decisions," said Denver Greening Director Parry Burnap. " Companies like Metro who step out ahead of their pack now, will stand out in the crowd when the Democratic convention comes to town. While they will be showing off their own company, they will be contributing to our efforts to convey Denver's collective aspirations and hard work to be a truly sustainable city.We applaud Metro's practical commitment to sustainability throughout their operations from the maintenance floor to the vehicles they buy. We hope they are setting a standard that others will follow."

Metro Taxi has invested in a waste oil furnace which burns used oil from preventative maintenance on its taxis to heat its vehicle maintenance facility. Prior to the installation of the waste oil furnace, Metro Taxi paid approximately $2,600 monthly to heat the building and now pays nothing!

Metro Taxi has replaced all of the windows at its 29,000 sq. ft. facility with double paned, low energy windowsin an effort to reduce the amount of energy used for heating and cooling by Metro Taxi's corporate offices.In November '06 Metro Taxi paid $1,200 to heat the 3-story building, as opposed to just $100 in November '07.In December '06, Metro Taxi paid in excess of $2,000 in heating costs as opposed to $764 in December '07.

Metro Taxi is also set to retrofit all of the lighting fixtures with energy efficient lighting, which will reduce the energy needs of the corporate facility by 50-60%.

-This project will result in 14.3 kW removed from the energy grid and 53,539 kWhr saved per year, preventing 367.81 Metric Tons of Carbon Dioxide Emissions.

-The affect of this project is the same as saving 306 Acres of Pine or Fir Forest or 9,563 seedlings grown for 10 years or saving 41,931 Gallons of Gasoline.

Metro Taxi's goal is to replace the entire fleet with hybrid taxis and continue projects like these along the way to "green" the company on and off the road. The hope is that the people of Denver will continue to use Metro Taxi (303) 333-3333 and support the environmental effort the company is making in the Denver Metro Area.

Cycle Rickshaws in Inda

An exciting Cycle Rickshaw Ride ...

You can see them standing in colorful rows outside the Railway station. Most of the cities and towns in India are highly polluted. The main reason is the air and noise pollution caused by transport vehicles, specially petrol and diesel-powered two and three-wheelers. Among all big and small vehicles Pedicab Rickshaw is a famous vehicle in India. This vehicle looks like a blend between a rickshaw and a bicycle. The driver pedals a pedicab instead of pulling the vehicle. It has three wheels with one wheel in front under the driver and two wheels supporting the passengers. We see that Pedicabs have different names depending on where they're situated.

There are presently close to 18 million petrol-powered two wheelers and about 1.5 million petrol and diesel-powered three-wheelers in India. It is estimated that close to 2 million cycle rickshaws ply on the Indian roads carrying about 6-8 billion passenger-kms/year. They provide employment to more than 2 million rickshaw pullers.

Some Solar Something on Valencia

Greener Than Thou: Some Solar Something on Valencia
Monday, February 11, 2008, by Sarah Hromack

Just when I thought those Missionites couldn't get any more out of hand with the D.I.Y. bikes made of copper pipe and melted Vans, I spotted this puppy outside of Community Thrift on Valencia on Saturday. The hipster aboard knew he'd fallen between the crosshairs, and sat there like a deer in headlights as I snapped away from across the street. It looks like a rickshaw had an orgy with a fleet of construction equipment and the PG & E solar installation team. Somebody? Anybody?

What is this? Do you know?

Lance Armstrong Encourages Bike Commuting in Austin

"Looks like Lance Armstrong is bringing biking back - and not for the hard core gear heads. In an effort to promote the commuter bike lifestyle in his home town of Austin, Armstrong is unveiling plans for a new concept shop that helps bring a viable transportation solution to the explosive growth that the downtown is experiencing."

Read the rest of the article at Lance Armstrong Encourages Bike Commuting in Austin; ecorazzi.com :: the latest in green gossip.

Wouldn't it be nice...

This is a great blog post at "Adastra per Aspera", with lots of photos, about changing from driving to walking (and pedicabs) in our towns and cities.

Walk about the future of Paso Robles, California

I went on a walk through downtown Paso Robles today. It was led by a fellow whose job is to point out to the people in towns and villages across the country that we are entering a new era and they must look at the infrastructure development in a new way. He’s earned his stripes as he has done that walk 2,448 times so far.

The villages hire him to show what they’ve done right and wrong over the years and how to plan for future development. We walked about 20 blocks around the center of town. He noted that the towns must now think about how to handle more WALKING PEOPLE.

In the past, the villages had lots of land and money so when they did something wrong in design/development it did not matter much. They could err without disaster.

The change that needs to come, he says, is for villages to be much more aware about how people can walk around or ride their bikes to visit downtown to shop or entertain themselves rather than always driving to accomplish those tasks. In fact, many businesses now have drive-through capabilities. This makes it difficult for people on foot to do business.

I think he is talking about the future price of gasoline, but he did not say that. “Profound changes” he said about American villages of the future.

For example, we need to think about how to do a better job with parking cars in the downtown area. The safest way is to back into a diagonal spot. The most accommodating type of parking is at a 90 degree angle that leaves space for more cars to park and which is also safer than diagonal excluding the backing in method.

He pointed at a 30 mph sign in the middle of our town and said, “The safest speed is at 20 mpg for pedestrians and drivers. A pedestrian had a 90% chance of surviving being hit at 20 mph but only a50% chance at 30 mph.” I never even thought of that before. I believe there will be a lot of things that come up in the next 20 years that we never thought much about before.

Like the idea that pedestrians, not automobiles, need to be at the forefront of future planning.

Wouldn't it be nice if municipalities thought more about pedestrians, bicycles and pedicabs than they do about cars? Sometimes I think that if urban planners had it their way, everyone would travel only in cars, never by foot or pedal. And even when they plan these new "urban communities," around "alternative transportation" (really meaning mass transit), they don't plan for the trip from the bus stop or subway station to home or office. They just build more parking structures.

But things are changing... aren't they? At least that's what I hear. But some cities still use the same excuses to keep pedicabs out:

• They're dangerous, a hazard (No, the cars, trucks and buses are dangerous.)
• They'll interfere with or block traffic (When was the last time you saw a traffic jam exclusively caused by a pedicab?)
• There's no place for them on the streets or sidewalks (There might be if cities actually planned for them!)
• We have too many people on foot in that area (Pedicabs help move pedestrians out of and around crowded area.)
  

Wouldn't it be nice... if cities, planners and developers actually came to a pedicab company and said, "We're planning this new community where people won't need to drive their cars so much, and we think pedicabs would be a great transportation option there. Your input would be valuable, so we'd like you to join us in the planning."

Is that time coming? Are things really changing?

Winter Cycling Has Its Own Rewards

Winter Cycling Has Its Own Rewards
By TERRENCE PETTY
Associated Press Writer
Posted: Feb. 12, 2008 at WRAL.com

PORTLAND, Ore. — Studded tires for bikes? Sure. You can also get chains if you want to join the intrepid cyclists who commute to work on two-wheelers during the winter, or who just want to have fun in the snow.

"I've been riding a bicycle for my main transportation for over 30 years. It's a force of habit," says John Schwenker, a 51-year-old aerospace engineer who lives near Boulder, Colorado

He rides four miles to his office and four miles back, even in the snow.

"It's a matter of going slow in the stuff," he says.

Bikes aren't just for sunny summer weather. There are those across the country - whether for environmental reasons, fun or fitness - who so love cycling that they ride year-round, pretty much regardless of the weather.

It may sound masochistic, letting sleet, rain and snow lacerate your face while you try to stay upright on a bike. But there's something weirdly liberating about hurling yourself into the elements - as long as you're smart about it.

WHAT TO WEAR:

Beware hypothermia. Wear layers, and clothing that breathes. It may be cold outside, but as you pedal through snow and cold rain you are going to heat up and sweat. Invest in a good foul-weather cycling jacket. Some riders wear heavy-duty cycling tights. Some wear snow pants. For the base layer - the clothing closest to your skin - stay away from cotton because it will feel wet and cold. Synthetics are better, and cyclists are rediscovering wool. Check with local cyclists to see what works in your conditions.

For footwear, some swear by the same style of "clipless" racing shoes they use during the fair-weather months - the kind of shoes that lock into the bike's pedals. If you go that route, get some neoprene booties to wear over the shoes and help keep out moisture and cold.

In colder climates, consider wearing regular winter boots for warmth. Use them with platform pedals, rather than clipless ones.

For gloves, look for something that will keep out the moisture and cold but also let your skin breathe. One option is the "lobster glove," so called because it looks like a big claw. You could also use weatherproof "bullwinkles," or "pogies," which resemble oven mitts and go over the handlebars. You slip your hands into them.

Besides a helmet, you'll need something over your head to keep in body heat. A balaclava would be a good choice.

RIDE SAFELY:

Make sure you are visible to motorists. Get a headlight that can be seen from a distance, and a blinking taillight that's also bright. In fact, consider getting more than one taillight. Put one on the back of your helmet and attach others to various places on your bike. Light yourself up like a Christmas tree.

Slow down. In snow, sleet or rain, it will take longer to come to a stop than on a dry road. If it doesn't feel safe, stay off the bike.

When you come to an intersection, make eye contact with motorists getting ready to pull into the street to be sure they see you.

Adapt your speed and riding style to the conditions. Powdery snow can be easy to ride through, but it depends how much there is. If there's ice beneath it, the going can be really tricky. Snow packed down by a snowplow can be fun to ride on, but again, be on the alert for ice. Riding through accumulations of wet snow can be exhausting. Gear down and spin through it.

YOUR BIKE:

Winter is brutal on a bicycle. If you want to ride on a regular basis in bad weather, acquire a "sacrificial bike," something cheap that you won't weep over when it's become mechanically useless.

Riders in the Pacific Northwest have "rain bikes" for winter's long rainy season. Some of the bikes have old steel or aluminum frames, come from a junkyard or were bought for a song. Some are sturdy mountain bikes or bikes built for cyclocross.

A rain bike needs fenders. Without them, rainwater and wet muck splashes all over your back - and into the face of anyone riding behind you.

In regions where winter is more snowy than rainy, foul-weather riders also tend to choose old clunkers, mountain bikes and others that can take a beating.

In Green Bay, Wisconsin, for instance, Mike Gerke rides every day of the year. The 50-year-old operates a pedicab; uses a bike for his office-cleaning business; and also just rides for the fun of it - racking up between 8,000 and 12,000 miles a year.

During the winter, Gerke sometimes uses a "fixed-gear" bike, a stripped-down variety with fewer moving parts to break or get gunked up. When snow is beginning to accumulate, he might ride his mountain bike instead.

"The wider stance of the mountain bike, with wider tires, helps give you stability," Gerke said.

Schwenker, of Boulder, rides a cruiser-style bike with braking mechanisms on the hubs of both wheels, rather than rim brakes, which can clog with snow and are less reliable in wet conditions.

Whether you are riding in snow or rain, choose a durable tire because in the winter there's more junk on the road that can slice a tire. Many riders choose mountain bike tires for snow because of their knobby tread. For added traction, you can buy them with studs. Sometimes Schwenker wraps chains onto his tires.

THE PAYOFF:

In Portland, there's a hard-core group of riders who can't wait for winter. For them, riding out into farm country while clouds nudge against the Cascade foothills and rain pours down can be nearly mystical.

Todd Gee of Chicago also knows the feeling. A 37-year-old computer programmer, Gee takes part in snow rides in the Windy City. The group meets early in the evening, then rides to the lakefront or some other pleasant place.

"One of the nice things about snow rides - it's very quiet," said Gee. "Snow deadens the constant noise of the city."

Funny thing... this article was written for a Portland, Oregon audience, appeared on a web site for a television station in Raleigh, North Carolina, and features 2 people we know -- Mike Gerke (gike) in Green Bay, Wisconsin and John Schwenker in Boulder, Colorado. It's a small world after all!

Bicycles change lives

The tagline for World Bicycle Relief is "The Power of Bicycles" which is truly illustrated in this article posted at MSNBC about their work delivering bicycles to needy people in Zambia. In developed nations, we take so much for granted - like the bicycles most of us ride for fun or exercise.

World Bicycle Relief, the vision of F.K. Day of Chicago, is a stunningly simple idea.

It delivers tens of thousands of bicycles to the poorest people in the world. Why? Because simple transportation improves people’s lives more than you can imagine.

All of a sudden, a child can get to school, a parent can find work, and a rural medical worker can reach eight families with AIDS. Farmers can transport extra corn. A father can walk one hour a day instead of seven. Emergencies can be dealt with. Neighbors can get a message. Income increases. Nutrition improves. All because people have wheels, and they can move. Think what your life would be without your car, and you get the idea.

Read the complete article at MSNBC's Worldblog.

Find out more about World Bicycle Relief at their web site. While you're there, check out the page on the impact of bicycles. Did you know that over equal units of time, one can ride a bicycle 4 times the distance as one walking? Cool, huh?