
Motors for Minneapolis pedicabs: Would they bring business or broken bones?
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Imagine a vehicle with a souped-up electric motor and weighing over 750 lbs. barreling around downtown at 20 miles per hour, operating in bike lanes and narrowly dodging bicycles and pedestrians.Now picture a pedal-operated vehicle that has an enclosed cabin, keeping the passengers warm as they traverse the cold Minnesota winter all the way from downtown Minneapolis, up the big hill on Hennepin, to their home in Uptown. FULL DISCLOSURE: The author is a bicyclist and occasional pedicab driver.Opponents say changing Minneapolis City ordinances to allow electrically-assisted pedicabs would make the first scenario possible, while supporters paint the second picture. Pedicabs are three-wheeled, pedal-powered taxis that in Minneapolis currently mostly operate downtown. Electric-assist pedicabs would have an electric motor on the bike, but the motor only adds power, or assists when the driver is pedaling. The motors are designed to help more at low speeds, and cut off completely at 20 mph. The City of Minneapolis currently does not allow electric-assist pedicabs.At a July 20 City Council meeting, Ward Two council member Cam Gordon introduced the subject of changing city ordiances to allow electric-assist pedicabs. Continue Reading