Crime fighting Pedicab riders from the UK

Ben, Will and, I presume their new friends
~These guys sense of civic purpose can even be extended to Law Enforcement~

I've been getting Google alerts relating to this story all week and haven't bothered to post but these guys are becoming quite famous and I don't want to miss out on carrying the top Pedicab story of the month.
According to a multitude of recycled articles and somewhere way back into my dim recollections of last week, the original report, a couple of Police officers commandeered a Pedicab and driver to apprehend a naughty guy who was breaching his bail conditions.
According to one report (the last page left in my browser tabs after I'd closed about 15 on the same story!) HERE

"The officers hopped into a pedicab (a two-seat tricycle powered by a cyclist) and pressed driver Ben Matthews into action. Fellow pedicab driver Will Vaughan spotted Matthews as he crossed Castle Green, a park in the center of town, and pedaled over to help."

Well it turns out the guys are actually quite worthy of my attention?! (I still don't know why I didn't post this story when I first read it!) They even have a blog dedicated to their environmentally friendly efforts and it is called:
Mules for the Masses
Which they describe as: Fun Green and Honest - A unique endeavour into sustainable environmentally friendly travel

It is a great blog and definitely fits the bill for my unrealized objectives. Good on you fellas, I hope this good publicity holds you in good stead with your local council and you are not legislated out of existence like so many other Pedicab drivers these days! Maybe your high public profile might be useful in carrying your own special message?

Rickshaw Pullers documentary

I recently came across the blog Jan Madhyam Productions which appears to be the outlet for a group of committed documentary makers from India who are based in New Delhi. There is a documentary film called, Unheard Voices: The Rickshaw Pullers of Mussoori

The organization has a very interesting profile and appear to be producing documentary films that challenge the liberties taken by the rich and powerful, for those of us who live in developed countries who enjoy the privileged life of exes I think that means us too!

All I know about the documentary is what I read on the blog but it looks like it questions deeply, the moral conundrum of low paid manual labor which so obviously places one person above another.

Rickshaws to the rescue

A couple of interesting stories today.
One from the UK where the police find a new use for the humble Rickshaw as an aid to law enforcement, the other a continuation on the story of the Rickshaw expulsion from Chadni Chowk.

Police use rickshaw to get to crime scene

Chandni Chowk moves on, sans the rickshaws

More strife for Rickshawallahs in India

Handcart-pullers-protests-against-ban-in-Chandni-Chowk

Sad news for common sense

Two of the articles I came across this week really stood out.
One in India the other in the United states but both concerning the persecution of Pedicab and Rickshaw riders by shortsighted regulatory bodies.

Free Transportation Service Shut Down by Government (National Center for Public Research, U.S.A)

End of rickshaw era in Chandini Chowk (IBN Live)

There's also a video attached to the story on IBN Live (Click Here)

It seems that both situations are examples of a lack of foresight by transport officials! The Chandini Chowk story is an obvious attack on RickshawWalahs the officials there claiming that by removing rickshaws they will reduce congestion and reduce noise pollution! - I doubt it! What about all the Walahs who will now be out of work.
The case in Santa Barbara is just an example of how high insurance costs and an increasing regulations have stifled these peoples attempt to improve the quality of life in their city. Another enlightened transport opportunity canned because it doesn't fit the local beuraucratic model

My favorite Pedicab option

Murray the author of the blog CoffeeWaffle, one of my favorites, recently bought a pedicab and is experimenting with how he might put it to use in his home town of Nelson, New Zealand.

Murray's friend Emile with their identical Pedicabs on a street in Nelson

I particularly like the design of their machines and think, if I ever manage to purchase a pedicab, this is the model I will be looking for. It is a Rickshaw/Pedicab(TC98)from the China Vehicle Co., ltd It appear to have everything I am looking for. Simple classic design, not too much fiberglass and a canopy for extra shade!
My plan/dream is beginning to take form as ideas are flooding into my mind about how I might actually get started (a dangerous mix of forward planning and absolute fantasy!). I think it is now time to consider how I might afford to actually purchase one of these beautiful machines!

It's funny I suggested my plan to a guy I met on the street recently and believe it or not he didn't say it was crazy! We spent about an hour on the side of the road discussing how cool it would be to just cruise around helping people to get from A to B! People like the old ladies who don't drive but want to shop at the local Mall. The ones who have to take their chances with the angry traffic because there is virtually no pedestrian access that doesn't involve walking on a motorway! Or the lady I see walking miles to get her three young children to school... etc... etc...
The possibilities were flying thick and fast, I'd finally found someone who could see the beauty in my plan and didn't try to bring me down by pointing out that it would be impossible to make a reasonable profit by doing such things! Am I doing this solely to make money? Is it possible to do something just because it feels good?

I am sure it would be an interesting experience for anyone brave enough to try such a novelty. Before I took a rickshaw ride I was embarrased to get on one and although I wanted to try I declined lots of offers and opportunities. When I finally took that ride it was an absolute joy!

Council permits and Pedicabs

I wonder what drives local Council bylaws in relation to Pedicabs?
Obviously they perceive Pedicabs and Rickshaws as some kind of threat to the public amenity; but why?

In Cities all around the world traffic congestion is a huge problem. Councils look for ways to make their cities more people friendly by installing walking streets and malls. Speed limits are reduced and roads are transformed to one way only traffic or obstacles are sometimes inserted to prevent traffic from encroaching on pedestrian space.
Surely a great solution to transportation within congested city centers would be the wholesale adoption of man powered environmentally friendly transport. In cities such as Singapore the bicycle Rickshaws are considered an attraction. Rickshaw travel enables people to engage with their environment and reduces the potential for serious collisions between vehicles and pedestrians in built up areas. They are an ideal option for transporting tourists who may wish to visit shopping areas that are often just beyond comfortable walking distance.

On the weekend we visited the Wharf precinct which is currently under construction. There were many cars that had to turn around because of lack of parking space close to the wharf and the road onto the wharf was full of cars just idling along. I am sure there must have been many people who just gave up and went home. This would have been a perfect opportunity to set up a ferry system between the Wharf and the further car parks as a service to elderly people or those who could not walk that distance. I would like to arrange a business along these lines but am unsure of how my local council will react. Articles I have read do nothing but confirm that Councils the world over are obsessed with restricting the use of rickshaws on public roads. I just don't get this. I plan to make some inquiries this week but am a little weary of giving them any reason to refuse me.

There were a couple of interesting articles over the past couple of days one of which related to what I am talking about. Check out this link in The Oxford Student.

And India-e-news has a story on rickshaws that gives some scope to the aesthetics of the machine. Cycle rickshaws: Poor man's lifeline in Bangladesh

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