  Genesyxx Member Username: Genesyxx Post Number: 564 Registered: 02-2004 Posted From: 71.159.22.100 |
Detroit pedicab ready to roll They're popular in cities such as New York, San Francisco and Orlando. Now they're coming to the Motor City. Downtown Detroit visitors soon will be able to take a load off and ride around in style, all courtesy of Michael Rosemond, who has started the city's first-ever pedicab service. Tourists, game-goers, gamblers and club-hoppers who don't want to walk can hop on Rosemond's bicycle-powered pedicab, also called a rickshaw, for a trip around town for $1 a block. The pedicabs hold two people. "Seven years ago I had visited San Francisco and took a ride in a pedicab," said Rosemond, 56, a lifelong Detroiter. "It was great, and I was thinking the whole time how fantastic it could be for Detroit." After his trip, Rosemond researched what it would take to start a pedicab business and began saving money. He said he has received overwhelming support from city officials. The City Council unanimously adopted an ordinance July 19 to allow for rickshaw operation effective July 28. Gerald Hudson, an attorney with the city's Law Department, said the language of Detroit's ordinance requires rickshaw operators to have liability insurance before the issuance of business licenses. The city needs to settle a few details, including processing the application, issuing a vehicle identification plate and completing final inspections, he said. Rosemond hopes to be tooling around downtown within a month or two. And he and his 23-year-old son will carry passengers well into the winter months. | ||
Huggybear Member Username: Huggybear Post Number: 250 Registered: 08-2005 Posted From: 68.248.74.92 |
Umm.. didn't 32 year-old Steve Christensen beat him to the punch by about a year? | ||
Themax Member Username: Themax Post Number: 252 Registered: 09-2005 Posted From: 69.246.123.118 |
This works in Manhatten but I don't see it as a good substitute for the Smart bus. "Take me to Somerset Mall, coolie." | ||
Bvos Member Username: Bvos Post Number: 1875 Registered: 10-2003 Posted From: 134.215.223.211 |
Sounds like a cool idea. Now that there's a lot of folks coming downtown for different events they should do good business. They have these things all over Toronto too. Speaking of alternative modes of transportation, what ever happened to that guy who was trying to do horse carriage rides around downtown? That poor guy had to jump through hoop after hoop after hoop but still kept at it. I thought for sure he'd made a go of it with that determination but I can't say that I've ever seen him downtown. | ||
Rjk Member Username: Rjk Post Number: 450 Registered: 11-2003 Posted From: 68.41.145.5 |
Some of the pedicabs that I've seen look pretty cool and have a nice design. I'll be interesting to see what they look like. | ||
Mikeg Member Username: Mikeg Post Number: 221 Registered: 12-2005 Posted From: 69.136.155.244 |
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Upinottawa Member Username: Upinottawa Post Number: 469 Registered: 09-2005 Posted From: 198.103.184.76 |
I am fairly sure that I have seen rickshaws operate in Windsor, and I know that I have seen them in Ottawa, Toronto, Halifax, etc. | ||
Danindc Member Username: Danindc Post Number: 1688 Registered: 10-2003 Posted From: 67.100.158.10 |
Are the pedicab drivers going to get run off the road by cars just like regular bicyclists do? | ||
Ron Member Username: Ron Post Number: 283 Registered: 03-2006 Posted From: 70.212.21.199 |
I used to work with a Mike Rosemond. Might be the same guy...if so, it couldn't happen to a nicer guy. And he's a great poet; maybe for an extra fee, he could recite some world class poetry for the romatically-inclined riders. | ||
Jams Member Username: Jams Post Number: 3662 Registered: 10-2003 Posted From: 67.38.26.253 |
"who has started the city's first-ever pedicab service" I vaguely remember a highschool classmate of having a rickshaw Downtown sometime in the 70's. He received a great deal of press as no one in the City seemed to know how to licence him. | ||
Tomoh Member Username: Tomoh Post Number: 253 Registered: 11-2004 Posted From: 24.148.87.134 |
Did Steve ever get licensing from the city and start service? He did have the idea and plan to do this before this Rosemond, but it sounds like this is the first time the city is allowing it. | ||
Dtown1 Member Username: Dtown1 Post Number: 31 Registered: 08-2006 Posted From: 69.212.172.155 |
Now, although mass transit will help the city alot, the reason the bus and car is our main mode of trans is because of our namesake.Now I think hte best mode of trans would be a el train or subway. By the way, we do have a cable ran trolley that runs up and down Washington | ||
Danindc Member Username: Danindc Post Number: 1698 Registered: 10-2003 Posted From: 67.100.158.10 |
Bullshit. Le strait d'etroit has nothing to do with ground transportation. | ||
Dtown1 Member Username: Dtown1 Post Number: 33 Registered: 08-2006 Posted From: 69.212.172.155 |
I meant the MOTOR CITY smart guy! | ||
Mikeg Member Username: Mikeg Post Number: 231 Registered: 12-2005 Posted From: 69.136.155.244 |
then you should have written, "because of our nickname." | ||
Motorcitymayor2026 Member Username: Motorcitymayor2026 Post Number: 1183 Registered: 10-2005 Posted From: 35.11.221.92 |
bvos, the guy with the horse carriages did begin his business, and I have seen him downtown quite a few times taking ppl around the area.... | ||
Trufan Member Username: Trufan Post Number: 15 Registered: 04-2006 Posted From: 68.40.89.253 |
"By the way, we do have a cable ran trolley that runs up and down Washington" Dtown1, have you not been downtown in the last 5 years? They removed the trolley before they rebuilt washington ave. Plus it was not a cable car, they were trolleys from Portugal. | ||
Lmichigan Member Username: Lmichigan Post Number: 4248 Registered: 10-2003 Posted From: 67.177.81.18 |
Genesyxx, Can you please provide the link or at least the source of the article/news blurb? | ||
Thnk2mch Member Username: Thnk2mch Post Number: 303 Registered: 02-2006 Posted From: 71.65.11.152 |
Detroit Free Press http://www.freep.com/apps/pbcs .dll/article?AID=2006608230474 | ||
Erikd Member Username: Erikd Post Number: 710 Registered: 10-2003 Posted From: 69.242.214.106 |
The pedicab will charge $1 per block? That is extremely expensive. A ride from Woodward and Jefferson straight up to the Fox Theatre would cost about $11. WOW! A regular cab would be about $4 for the same trip, or you could take the DPM for $.50. | ||
Psip Member Username: Psip Post Number: 1138 Registered: 04-2005 Posted From: 68.60.45.70 |
This is King Kwames payoff for the Rickshaw vote. /obscure |
