Late Show with David Letterman : Lucy Liu Jan 8, 2008
The pedicab Industry got some bad press from David Letterman: CBS | Late Show with David Letterman
What does Lucy like to do in the city on the beautiful day like we had today? She likes to exercise and ride her bike, and she’s started taking rides in those pedicabs so common now in the city. The pedicab is like a rickshaw where the passenger sits in a little carriage while he/she is bicycled around by a pedaller in front. Dave is familiar with the pedicabs and calls them a “litigation nightmare.” Yippee! I can’t agree more. I have no idea what insurance the pedicab drivers have and they have no respect for any traffic laws. They ride in and out of traffic, never stopping at lights, never signaling, never looking. I can’t believe the city lets them get away with that, and I can’t believe one of those pedicabs haven’t been flattened by an equally traffic law-breaking cab driver. And shouldn’t kids be required to wear a helmet when riding in the back of one of those?
Watch the video here:
8. May, 2008 at 15:24
I was almost killed on New Year’s Eve when a pedicab I was riding in was struck by a car. We were traveling on a narrow bridge and the driver had taken us amidst traffic (not on a sidewalk or in a special lane for these types of vehicles). The bridge was poorly lit, as was the pedicab. The owner of the pedicab company also did not have insurance. (!!!)
I suffered a broken clavicle (which has still not healed after four months), broken pelvis, and the right side of my face is still paralyzed from the skull fracture/head injury. I have been unable to work, am going broke, and the hit-and-run driver was never found. The friend I was traveling with had to have her knee rebuilt and just got out of a wheelchair. The pedicab/rickshaw driver was fine.
I say, if pedicabs and rickshaws are going to be allowed to be operated, there needs to be special licensing regulations in place, the owners MUST carry insurance (note: in Fort Lauderdale, Green Elite Bicycles was NOT properly insured, and Mr. Kevin Green should be out of business!), and the cities where they operate need to have policies and regulations in place that restrict where these vehicles can travel. I used to live in Denver, and the city carefully regulated where rickshaws were allowed to ride. Fort Lauderdale, on the other hand, has a lot to learn.
To anyone opting for such a mode of transportation, make sure before you climb into one that the driver is licensed, the company is insured (as if they’ll tell you the truth), and that you aren’t about to be taken into busy roadways where you must ride amidst cars. If you are, then I recommend a helmet. Had my friend and I flown over the bridge we were on (which we almost did), we wouldn’t be here today. Thank goodness we survived, but I have not been able to work since the accident, still can’t hear in my right ear (or smile, or blink my right eye, or talk properly), and I did not get a dime from the f’ing pedicab company. Use caution!
You can read more about our accident and issues with the city of Fort Lauderdale here: http://blog.myspace.com/jewelswoolf
~Julie Perry
12. May, 2008 at 02:41
Julie,
I am terribly sorry for this accident. I have a hard time imagining the pain that you and your friend and your families have suffered.
My only point of contention with your warning is that you suggest that pedicabbers and or that the companies they work for are untruthful. This may be the case in your situation, unfortunately I am unfamiliar with the circumstance surrounding your accident. In general the pedicabbers and pedicab business operators I have know in Austin have been very above board and diligent.
There has been some discussion that you may like to hear about at the Richshawforum.com website concerning insurance. Please, please, please, go over there and tell more people about your experinece with the insurance companies and the pedicab bussiness operators.
http://www.rickshawforum.com/forums/showthread.php/insurance-questions-1524.html
I want this industry to thrive and prosper in America. It will not unless experiences such as your can be avoided.
Training the drivers properly, and having adequate insurance are critical.
The type of hit and run accident that you experienced is truly regrettable. Pedicabbers, cyclists, pedestrians and other drivers are all to often victimized in this manner.
12. May, 2008 at 03:46
i posted a comment on this accident on the rickshaw forum here:
http://www.rickshawforum.com/forums/showthread.php/insurance-questions-1524.html