A new bill aims to prohibit pedicab drivers from stopping within 50 feet of Broadway theaters.
In response to resident complaints about noise and crowding, New York City Councilmembers Keith Powers, Erik Bottcher, and Chris Banks introduced the legislation. The bill would also mandate the Department of Transportation to put up signage stating which portions of the neighborhood are “pedicab restricted zones.”
Tourists enjoy the pedicabs, which generally play music like “Empire State of Mind” while cycling passengers around on open-air tricycles.
Kenneth Winter, communications chair and co-founder of the New York Pedicab Alliance, a 220-member organization that represents pedicab drivers, agreed that there are currently many issues with New York City’s pedicab fleet, such as loud music, aggressive sales tactics, and a lack of clear pricing.
However, he claimed the new measure “just doesn’t make sense” because it would only serve to remove income from those operating in good faith, rather than the roughly “90% of the pedicabs that are not licensed currently” and generating difficulties.
To operate in New York City, pedicab drivers must have a pedicab license, as well as a driver’s license, a Department of Worker and Consumer Protection registration plate, and liability insurance.
Powers, whose district encompasses Midtown and sections of Manhattan’s East Side, said the measure was motivated by “New Yorkers complaining about hearing noisy pedicabs outside the theater when they were enjoying a show” as well as his own experience with hearing loud music outside the theater.
“Everyone is trying to boost Broadway, get people back into the city, get people going back to see shows, and we want to make sure that experience is across the board an enjoyable one,” Powers said.
Winter of the Pedicab Alliance claims that the city is encouraging the situation by using poor and insufficient enforcement techniques, such as granting pedicab permits without background checks and failing to prosecute people operating without a license or in violation of existing laws.
“It’s just a crazy mess that the city actually doesn’t really care about at all,” Winter said. “I think [the bill sponsors are] just trying to look good to the Broadway owners.”
Jason Laks, president of the Broadway League, stated that the “proliferation of pedicabs in New York City creates significant challenges for Broadway audiences, theater workers, and law enforcement.”
“The Broadway League fully supports efforts to establish stronger regulations that ensure a safer, more accessible environment for all who work in and attend our theaters,” Laks said.
Tom Harris, president of the Times Square Alliance, said the group is “excited that there’s some attention from the City Council to make sure that everyone on Broadway has a better experience.”
The Times Square Alliance has also noticed a growing “rogue group of operators” who are unlicensed and uninsured but lease their pedicabs to “unsuspecting people,” he said.
Some pedicab operators have been accused of operating illegally, intimidating visitors, and misleading customers about their prices. In December, the NYPD seized hundreds of pedicabs that it claimed were operating illegally in Midtown.
Harris said he believes the bill is a first step in “holding those unscrupulous operators accountable” but “is not a cure-all.”
The bill is still in committee, and no hearing has yet been scheduled.
