A pedal-driven rickshaw service could be a fun addition to downtown Lawrence. Doing it in a way that won’t create a traffic hazard could be tricky, but the city should try to give this would-be entrepreneur a chance to try it out.
Lawrence resident Shane Powers thinks there’s a market for a rickshaw service. His primary audience seems to be younger people who want to get from one drinking establishment to another, but the service also might be attractive to an older crowd that would like to catch a ride to or from a restaurant or movie and a parking space several blocks away.
There are some drawbacks to be considered. Many evenings, traffic on Massachusetts Street is moving slowly enough that a pedal-driven rickshaw might not cause much disruption. If Powers extends his service very far beyond Massachusetts, however, motorists may complain. We also wonder whether he has adequately considered the local terrain, which ranges from a subtle rise to Sixth Street to the more drastic inclines leading to the Kansas University campus.
His idea of using the rickshaw to give historical tours is an interesting possibility, but transporting football fans from downtown to Memorial Stadium doesn’t seem very practical.
City officials say they would have to create a new ordinance to accommodate the rickshaw business. Perhaps they will find the plan unworkable, but it would be interesting to give Powers’ idea a shot.
Comments
LJWorld.com doesn’t necessarily condone the comments here, nor does it review every post. Read our full policy. Also, read about banned accounts and harassing comments.
BigPrune (anonymous) says…
Can this guy ride his rickshaw within the confines of the expensive bicycle lanes painted throughtout the city that maybe a hundred people use daily if he's not riding on Mass? Maybe the City needs to make this guy pay for a cost/benefit analysis. I wonder how long this idea's been floating around City Hall before it hit the newspapers, 6, 9 or 12 months perhaps? Did Planning need to get involved in anyway?
- All tongue in cheek
number3of5 (anonymous) says…
This would not be a rickshaw business, it would be a pedicab business. A rickshaw is pulled by a human, a pedicab combines a bike and a rickshaw. My brother brought one home with him when he returned from the Navy.
shanep (anonymous) says…
You are absolutely correct, it is called a pedicab. My business is called Powers Pedicabs and I began the process with the city 1 month ago, the resolution of the process however will take a few more months. also, my plan is not to shuttle people from downtown to the stadium, but from their distant parking spots (people pay to park at 6th street during a home football game) to the stadium.
gccs14r (anonymous) says…
Hope you have an electric assist to pull the hills. I don't like riding up 11th or 14th, and I'm not pulling an extra 1200 pounds of humans.