After decades of false starts and resistance, Southern California communities are building on their expanding cycling infrastructure by embracing pedicabs as part of their growing mix of transportation alternatives.
"Pedicabs will hit the streets of Santa Monica this summer, and city officials hope the service will offer people on bustling Main Street a way to get around without their cars," report Matt Stevens and Marisa Gerber. "Santa Monica will join San Diego, San Francisco, Santa Barbara, Huntington Beach and Long Beach, where the human-powered taxis already roam the streets."
"Los Angeles has long resisted pedicabs, but there are signs the resistance is waning," they add. "Los Angeles Department of Transportation spokesman Jonathan Hui said the agency is 'studying the breadth of a pedicab regulatory system' in order to help establish a system of its own."
"Transportation experts say Santa Monica's approval of bicycle taxis points to a larger trend in the Southland — a logical next step and new frontier for a region long branded by its freeway system."
"There's been a cultural shift toward non-motorized or green transportation in general," said Michael Smart, a researcher at the Institute of Transportation Studies at UCLA. "In the past six to seven years there's been a real sea change."
FULL STORY: Pedicabs are finding a place in the Southland transportation mix
Lyft Pulls Micromobility From Los Angeles Area
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Businesses Oppose Conversion of Parking Structure Into Affordable Housing
Business owners in downtown Santa Monica have filed a lawsuit opposing the city's planned replacement of a parking structure with housing, despite city studies showing that the city's downtown parking supply far exceeds demand.
'Speed' Turns 25: Planners Think About Fast Buses
In the '90s, Keanu Reeves was hurtling down the roads and freeways of L.A. in a bus; 25 years later, city officials ponder ways to bring the city’s average bus speed above 10 mph.
Analysis: Cybertruck Fatality Rate Far Exceeds That of Ford Pinto
The Tesla Cybertruck was recalled seven times last year.
National Parks Layoffs Will Cause Communities to Lose Billions
Thousands of essential park workers were laid off this week, just before the busy spring break season.
Retro-silient?: America’s First “Eco-burb,” The Woodlands Turns 50
A master-planned community north of Houston offers lessons on green infrastructure and resilient design, but falls short of its founder’s lofty affordability and walkability goals.
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Analysis: Cybertruck Fatality Rate Far Exceeds That of Ford Pinto
The Tesla Cybertruck was recalled seven times last year.
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