Central Park Pedicab Stands?
How’s that going?
RR received (from a fellow NYCPOA member) this photo of a sign posted at a pedicab stand in Central Park. I have a map showing locations of eight pedicab stands scattered throughout the park, from east to west, between 59th and 77th Streets. The top of my map is cut off – perhaps there are a couple more stands on Central Park West?
I’m wondering a few things, in relation to this new program:
Are the stands helping or hindering business for Central Park pedicab drivers? Are pedicab drivers and/or patrons actually using the stands? Are they distributed in a way that’s consonant with the demand for them? How strict is enforcement, i.e., are pedicab drivers getting tickets for soliciting at other locations?
In general, I think pedicab stands are a great idea. They help legitimize pedicabs as a means of transportation, and they let taxi-hailers know that they have an option other than taking a gas-guzzling motor weapon. I’d love to see pedicab stands at Penn Station, Grand Central, and so on.
If any pedicab drivers – or pedicab passengers – have firsthand experience of how the stands are working, please, by all means, post comments! (I myself, being a crowd-and-tourist-averse native New Yorker, set foot in Central Park maybe five times a year.)