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HomeMy WebLinkAboutItem #27 - Discussion ItemCITY OF MIAMI. FLORIDA ��/. INTER -OFFICE MEMORANDUM TO Howard V. Gary DATE November 28, 1983 City Manager Se. ;io Rodrig•.je2, Zire^_tor �40M ?fanning Lepar:.ment SUBJECT Liscussion item - Pedicabs ?rcpcsa: REFERENCES ENCLOSURES ;eccmmenca;.:.cr, :naa =e:__a ser-,t a oe aut;:orizea :.. �cwntown a :er::a . suc.ec: .o .r.e �a;n_..__,,rav_cn .,e _ns..r•�c.ec .,:, ^r=carte :o �ecS^:r'inc:ec .:a;. , n e _.1-,_:A J ?e• _ -30 ler J3_ :e ;. ante•J s .emCorar-i .er'r4 P,r a ^mcr-.h .ri31 :er::jd `,ne fow:n,7 Cor.dins.• .e ccrpCrat..n SC.3_l �rCv:�2 comprenensive zener �3;, l : ::.surance _n t ^ e amcunt 00, ,CO. comb_^ez Si oe tr.v.cec Hcr:{Qrs _:^oe^sate ,c _..sursr.ce _., re-u rea tv . =cr_z3 .,taoute. Signed statement shall be sue;n-.tec cv ----csrs, rr_3r `.J issuance Df a permnauct '�c:;ao 3erv: :e, agreeing `.a r,he f 7l_owing ..ar•.^.5 3n- -^..� . Jr ozerat.on of - .e Ser•!_oe ana gran;,:n2 7:-e perm_4:Z. i :ill ?edtcab operators sna_1 '101: ? •lal.. _cr:ca :,r:'ler5 oense and be 3 sr .,cre age. .4o -cre .nan .,No ac:l : _assenzers ma, :e o) ?edicabs shall ocera:e :nly along tr.e _,urt are ar.: .n a manner so as to not impede, slow, or of erwr se .._sr•.ct normal flow of traffic. c) The pick-up and discharge of passengers shall not to made from or within a moving lane of traffic and all passengers shall be directed to enter and exit the vehicle from the curb side. Page 1 of 3 GUI j sC U SS I O1� 0 Howard V. Gary November 28, 1983 e) No pedicab may be operated on a public sidewalk. f) Pedicabs stopped or parked within a public right-of-way shall be attended at all times. g) Passenger fares shall be posted in a visible external location on both sides of the pedicab, and a trip length odometer provided. h) All pedicabs shall be equipped with operable horn and battery powered head light and tailight. i) Passengers requesting a tour shall be quoted a trip time duration and flat fee before the trip is started. j) Operation of the pedicabs shall be confined to an area bounded by I-95 on the west, the Miami River on the south, N 6th Street on the north and Biscayne Boulevard on the east. AMA1 VCTC The pedicab service could be a novel and practical service for visitor and employees in the downtown area. Viewed in the context of recent efforts to introduce a more human scale, tourist oriented flair to activities downtown, this proposal can be seen as a positive image factor in a core area often perceived as harsh, rushed, and lacking in amenity. The central issue in this proposal, however, is the question of safety, and secondarily, disruption to traffic. Safety of passengers is largely a function of the pedicabs ability to move with traffic and avoid streetside hazards such as buses, trucks, and turning vehicles. Since core area traffic averages less than 11 miles per hour, the pedicabs should be able to maintain reasonable pace with traffic. By requiring all pedicab drivers to hold motor vehicle drivers licenses and observe certain operational precautions (listed above), it can be presumed that acceptable safety standards can be maintained. Notable exceptions, however, would be high speed traffic on Biscayne Boulevard (especially north of 6th Street) and Brickell Avenue, and the narrow Miami River bridges with steep approach grades. These hazardous areas would dictate confining the suggested trial operations to the immediate core area. It should be noted that Downtown Orlando has permitted for several months an identical pedicab service to operate in conjunction with the Church Street historic district. No problems have resulted to our knowledge. The Departments of Public Works and Police have no objection to the trial period provided all safety conditions are met. Page 2 of 3 � isCU SS I'oN Howard V. Gary November 28, 1983 It is further requested that this item be listed as a discussion item for the City Commission meeting of December 8, 1983. SR:JL:dr Page 3 of 3 I S C U S.S I D lu