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Pedicab Peddlers Chafe Under New Central Park Rules
By
John Del Signore
Published Sep 22, 2009
Modified Sep 22, 2009
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By
John Del Signore
Published Sep 22, 2009
Modified Sep 22, 2009
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The Parks Department is about to impose heavy new regulations on the pedicab operators in Central Park, but the New York City Pedicab Owners Association is begging the city to backpedal. Under the new rules, pedicabs will be forbidden from areas where taxis and carriages make pick-ups; required to operate in the right lane of traffic, not the bike lane on the left; and, weirdly, prohibited from displaying advertisements at times when other motor vehicles are barred from the park.
Parks Commissioner Adrian Benepe tells the Post the rules are necessary because "there's been a huge proliferation of pedicabs in Central Park, and only in Central Park." But Chad Marlow, a lawyer for the NYC Pedicab Owners Association says, "It's somewhat hypocritical for the city as a whole to be promoting pedicabs to tourists—and the mayor himself calling them a unique part of the fabric of this city—and then at the same time, the Parks Department turns around and basically bans us at their whim."
Marlow also calls the advertising restriction "a completely nonsensical rule" because operators won't be allowed to display ads during weekends when the park is car-free: "Literally it's obscene. If you try to make a little extra money [from ads], you're welcome to it, but you can't set foot in our parks? That's ridiculous. There's no rationale other than to single out pedicabs." The rules go into effect in November after what's sure to be a spirited public hearing October 21st at the Chelsea Recreation Center.
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John Del Signore
Originally from the Albany area, John Del Signore has called NYC home since 1995. In addition to his thousands of meticulously-crafted bespoke blog posts for Gothamist, his writing has also been published in The Awl, Deadspin, The Nervous Breakdown, and performed at The Brick Theater in Brooklyn.
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