Seattle: looking at the brakes
From the picture of the accident scene it appears that there were no hand brakes installed on the pedicab involved in the Seattle accident.
Another Seattle pedicab owner Douglas Benidetti, familiar with the pedicabs operated by Cascadia Cabs, is quoted this KOMO news video saying that the type of pedicab involved in the accident had no hand brakes and only a single foot brake.
In the Komo news video he is quoted as saying:
Douglas Benidetti: “It has a metal rod that runs down to a leather strap.”
Reporter: “Where are the hand brakes on this bike?”
Douglas Benidetti: “There are no hand brakes on this bike.”
The leather strap on the pedicab is what is referred to as a “band brake”. Band Brakes are often used on go-karts. Azusa Engineering, a manufacturer of band brakes has the following description on their web site:
Band brakes are simple effective and economical for a variety of small, light-duty small vehicles, or as parking brakes. They were designed to work with either our 4″ or 4 1/2″ diameter drum, but work well with drums ranging in size from 3 7/8″ to 4 5/8″ O.D. For more demanding applications consider our internal / expanding drum brakes.
On modern European or American made pedicabs, one or two disc brakes are normally used to stop the rear wheels. On these modern bikes, A separate, redundant brake is mounted on the front wheel. An example of this type of modern pedicab is the “Eco Taxi” pedicab.
Extremly powerful brake calipers Big Magura
11. August, 2008 at 10:15
Cheap Cheap Cab. An example of safety being sacrificed in the name of volume. The owner claims that there was no malfunction, but avoids the obvious fact that he was, not was, IS running business with substandard equipment not designed for the rigors of the street. I’m sure they’re fine in certain environments ( indoor vegas “desert passage ” would be a suitable environment…) but in traffic? Give me a break.
12. August, 2008 at 09:05
It sounds like the cheaper pedicabs are not built to the standards required by New York State’s vehicle law.
A bicycle must be equipped with:
A brake which is capable of making the bike tires skid on dry, level pavement (Sec. 1236(c)).
My classic Main Street Pedicab IS built to this standard, and I’m glad I ordered it with seat belts, so that if I do need to lock up the wheels, my passengers stay put.
In general, I feel that regulation of an industry should ONLY address specific needs/problems, otherwise we have too much government. This accident is a clear indicator of such a need for our industry. When are we pedicab operators going to get together to write a boilerplate of municipal codes for our industry? Are we going to wait for someone else to write it for us, like what seems to have happened in NYC?
12. August, 2008 at 10:41
its greedy guys who want to make quick money that cause scenarios like this. ive been shopping around for a trike, mainstreet is the best one out there. never once did i consider buying a cheap 600 dollar foreign pedicab. they are junk. even my wagon stops on a dime down the brazo’s hill. this was a defective brake. i dont any pedicabber who lets loose down a hill. we all ride the brake. unless their is none? DO NOT BUY CHEAP INDIAN RICKSHAWS. india has an exploding population and they make these things deadly on purpose to curb over population. think about it. senseless tragedy that was 100% avoidable.
15. August, 2008 at 14:04
to romanzoo: of course your wagon stops on a dime… brazos is a one way street, up hill!
17. August, 2008 at 14:24
dont be an ass monkey shannon, san jac is steeper and ive been down it too. happy? geesh. who is this tard?