downtown-san-diego-urban-lifestyle/pedicabbers-being-regulated/118/
If you’ve ever been downtown, you’ve noticed the petty-cabs, and if you’ve ever been here during the summer months by the ballpark, Gaslamp District or Convention Center, you can’t miss them.. Hundreds flock in from out of the country to work petty-cabs in the summer in SD. Driving down 5th street in the summer…forget about it. Petty cabs charging at a whole 5 miles per hour are clogging the roads and taking up parking spaces. There have also been problems with charges. Many have not posted their prices and then charge outrageous amounts. I remember sending my parents on a petty cab from the Convention Center to the ballpark, a whole 4-5 blocks, and the guy tried to charge them $40! Come on… I could buy a roundtrip train ticket to LA for that amount!
The city is planning tougher regulations to control these problems. ‘Working with police and downtown businesses, city regulators are proposing to restrict the number of pedicabs in certain zones and require all to prominently post fares.’ There will be specific zones carved out for downtown and only a certain number of pedicabs with special decals will be allowed in these zones. City officials need to decide what that number will be and other specific rules regarding pedicabber on sidewalks and taking up meter parking. Don’t get me wrong…I’m all for the pedicabbers. It’s great to go out for a beer and dinner, and be able to catch one home; or for tourists to get a ride and tour around. However, 400-500 in downtown is overboard and troublesome. It has become so popular that the city needs to pull in the reins.