Probably Police Town Clauses 1847 or 1888 both have substantial highways 
elements, I think 1888 was the one which included the detail of 
confirming that a bicycle was a carriage for the purposes of the HA 1835 
s.72, and the 1847 one gives relief to tall persons, (like me) through 
making it clear that footway clearances for awnings etc have to be 8 
feet vertically, and barrels and other items should not be placed to 
obstruct it. (I got a 2ft section of tube inserted in local bus stops 
when I cut my head open on a low one and threatened to sue, because they 
were all sub-standard)

In Glasgow we have a rickshaw operating with a model that may remove 
some of the issues.  It is free to use, and sponsored by a local travel 
company.  This would make a lot of sense in the vast pedestrianised 
centres of places like Newcastle, with major stores sponsoring moving 
advertising rather than the dodge of putting posters on a tricycle or 
bike and locking it to a lamp post.  the riders would be able to provide 
promotional information for their sponsor, and general visitor 
information whilst cruising gently around to pick up those who might be 
burdened with shopping or just too tired for the hike back to the 
station/taxi rank/car park/bus stop. With riders effectively paid a 
daily rate, the need to compete for fares would be removed, and the 
financial pressures delivered by the model of an individual leasing a 
pedicab by the day or shift, and then desperate to recoup that cost and 
make some profit are removed.

Part of the London 'problem' is I suspect bound up in the way the 
operation is structured - not unlike the Addison-Lee PHC drivers paying 
to have the cab and radio and then having to maximise the jobs they take 
and complete, to be able to pay the lease costs.

Now if we could find the sponsor to deliver this, for a pilot city 
(although Leicester did do this one year, and there may be some results 
for that which could inform the debate)

Given that the pedicab can carry packages or passengers, it could be a 
single 'vehicle' for freight and folk that circulates, with sponsorship 
spread across several companies paying to put branded machines on the 
street.  Glasgow's evening services are (or were) supported by local 
restaurants, because of the obvious advantage of collecting diners 
before/after theatre and moving them around the town.

Remove the money issue and you remove the mayhem

Dave

On 19/12/12 22:21, Richard Lewis wrote:
> On Wed, 2012-12-19 at 11:53 +0000, Peter Wood wrote:
>> Boris Johnson (Mayor of London) wants to ban rickshaws.
>>
>> Anyone have interesting thoughts or evidence on the subject?
>>
> Hmmm. Further thoughts: perhaps motor-taxis should be banned due to
> their antisocial habit of being driven around Soho at inappropriate
> speed and drivers scaring the crap out of pedestrians by crossing Oxford
> Street whilst leaning on their horns and having no intention to stop.
> These idiots are just downright antisocial *and* dangerous.
>
> Whilst we're at it, let's introduce a Copenhagen-style foot-street
> system, making the whole of Soho, Covent Garden and large areas around
> Oxford Street a place for people and not motor vehicles.
>
> The area's quite big, so rickshaws would fit in very well, rather than
> being buffeted about by bully drivers and being forced up onto footways
> to keep out of the way. They could perform passenger and goods carrying
> functions.
>
> Rickshaw operations can work very well IMHO, but they do need to be
> licensed. AFAIK, a few years ago this discussion came up and BugBugs,
> the original operator, expressed support for a licensing system which
> would require a certain standard of behaviour and conduct and a system
> for people to make complaints.
>
> As a former rickshaw operator (Salisbury, 1994-6)) I can say I benefited
> greatly from the license I held for my lone vehicle, issued as it was
> under the Town Police Clauses Act of Eighteen-fifty-something. My route
> and limitations were discussed and agreed with the council, which also
> monitored any feedback from the public--there was nothing adverse. At
> first I had objections from taxi operators, but I talked with them,
> explaining that I would only take a tiny proportion of their short fares
> and arranged that I would carry their business cards and encourage the
> public to use them to visit Stonehenge.
>
> Boris's concern I guess is less about licensing and more about the
> operation of typical rickshaw businesses which is on a self-employed
> "hire a bike for a day and see what you make" basis. You don't need any
> qualifications other than the ability to ride a tricycle, and so the
> thing is open to anyone--scrupulous or otherwise. If I approached Boris
> and said: "License me. I'll agree some rules with you, on fares, routes,
> area operated and how to treat the public" I'd probably get a hearing in
> principle.
>
> I've occasionally thought about running a single-fare service between
> Covent Garden and Oxford Street using a fleet of 20 vehicles running
> every couple of minutes, as a form of proper public transport but with
> the option for passengers of leaving the route for a set additional
> charge.
>
> I think rickshaws (or more properly pedicabs) can, if managed properly
> and with a robust set of rules in place, could contribute greatly to
> making our cities more civilised places for people. If it's a choice
> between car-infestation or bicycle and rickshaw-infestation in our
> cities, then I know which I would prefer.
>
> Cheers
> Richard.