Rickshaws

Cycle Rickshaws

A local resident's letter to councillors:

Amongst the many problems facing residents of the Grassmarket and adjacent areas is that of the "cycle rickshaws" which appear like bats as dusk falls to ply their trade, which seems to consist mainly of ferrying party goers to and from the sleazy clubs at the junction of West Port and Bread St, and along Kings Stables Rd.

This causes a lot of late night noise and disturbance as the pasengers shout to each other and to passers-by. This is protracted as the vehicles move very slowly.

I'm sure they provide useful employment and exercise for their student driver/riders, but they are a real bane for residents, and seem to be proliferating.

Can you tell whether these vehicles have to be licensed by the Council (like taxis) or are controlled by anyone (the Ploice?) for their number and fitness for purpose (many appear to have inadequate lights).

(subsequently quoted in an article in the Evening News 18 August 2009 - read the article here:

A councillor's responsed to confirm that the Council do indeed licence these vehicles. Deatils can be found in the Council's "GUIDANCE FOR APPLICANTS FOR STREET TRADER LICENCES" (available from here) in paragraph 12 which merely states:

"Wheeled bin cleaners, walking tours, pedicabs, face painting, hair braiding, henna tattooing, tarot reading and a number of other activities require special conditions to be attached. Persons interested in these activities should contact the licensing section for further information."

Alternatively you may wish to make representations directly to the cycle rickshaw operator:

Philip Varley (Director)
Edinburgh Pedicabs Ltd
Unit 5 / 4
Royal Park Place
Meadowbank
Edinburgh
United Kingdom
EH8 8HZ

Tel: 07876 030203
Fax: 0131 656 6499

info@pedicabs.net

http://www.pedicabs.net

Why these vehicles are licensed as street traders rather than road vehicles is a bureaucratic mystery but prehaps Councillor Joanna Mowat, who sits on the Regulatory Committee which should deal with these, might be able to enlighten us?

So if you are affected by the noise associted with these vehicles you will need to lobby her to have more stringent controls over these vehicles.

Councillor Joanna Mowat

0131 529 4077

joanna.mowat@edinburgh.gov.uk

Edinburgh is not the only city to have issues with cycle rickshaws. Read the articles below for a wider perspective:

Information about cycle rickshaws (or pedicabs)

In 2005, the Deparment for Transport issued a statement in response to an Freedom Of Information (FOI) request for policy information about cycle rickshaws (or pedicabs) - which is available here.

The gist of this is that these vehicles are unregulated other than registration with local councils who issue a licence to operate. At the time consideration was given to more stringent licencing under the Traffic Management Act. The issue was not resolved due to there not being an adequate description of what constituted a cycle rickshaw or pedicab!

To follow-up this issue you will need to lobby your Parliamentary (London) representative.

Rt Hon Gavin Strang Party (Labour)
Email via Gavin's Assistant at his Edinburgh Office gillana@parliament.uk

Web: http://www.gavinstrangmp.co.uk

Tel:020 7219 3000

(House of Commons Switchboard - ask for your Member's Office)
Write:House of Commons, London, SW1A

New rules to push Delhi's rickshaws off the road

From The Times Dec 13, 2007 (full article here)

Bicycle rickshaws have been a feature of the Delhi streets since Indian independence in 1947, providing the cheapest, if not always the safest, way around the congested capital.

But city authorities, who have already banned street food, cows and monkeys, now plan to push 400,000 rickshaw-wallahs off the road in their latest attempt to modernise the capital. And they want the 100,000 remaining ones to pass a driving test and a medical check before they are given a new “smart” licence, fitted with a microchip to store personal details.

The proposals follow a series of recent measures that are designed to spruce up the city before it hosts the Commonwealth Games in 2010. Local authorities are also cracking down on begging — long banned but tolerated — as part of the drive to turn Delhi into a “world-class” city commensurate with India’s status as an emerging economic giant.

Perhaps our local councillors could learn a thing or two from their delhi counterparts?

Grassmarket Resident's Association

a living community