Clemson City Council nixes request for Pedicabs
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By Greg Oliver (Contact / Staff Bio)
November 20, 2009 - 12:00 a.m. EST
CLEMSON — Safety and convenience won out over novelty Monday night as Clemson City Council members agreed by consensus that a request for a Pedicab operation was not in the best interests of the city.
City Administrator Rick Cotton told council that since there was overwhelming opposition, the proposal did not require formal action.
Also known as bikecab, cyclo, trishaw and, more broadly, as rickshaw, Pedicabs are vehicles that are human-powered as a type of tricycle designed to carry passengers in addition to the driver and often used on a for-hire basis. Pedicabs are found in many cities, including Greenville, Columbia and Charleston, and Jason Pressley appeared before council last month to request a license to operate the service in Clemson.
During that meeting, Pressley admitted that reaction from Clemson University was lukewarm at best, and city officials also expressed concerns over the vehicle’s ability to operate in the downtown area. Cotton recommended Monday night that Pedicabs not be a part of the city, adding that Clemson “is just not a very convenient town in which to operate.”
“Clemson’s downtown is very narrow and, quite frankly, not conducive to pedicabs,” Cotton said.
Cotton listed concerns over staging areas; an unwillingness to have Pedicabs stationed on public sidewalks; concerns by Clemson Area Transit that route times could be impeded; safety issues compared to taxis, vehicles or buses; conflicts with football and other major events and nighttime visibility.
Clemson Police Chief Jimmy Dixon said his concern, from a law enforcement standpoint, is safety.
“Whoever operates this business is going to want to be in the immediate downtown area,” Dixon said.
Council members said they felt pedicabs were not a good fit for Clemson.
“Charleston is very level — we’ve got a lot of hills,” said J.C. Cook. “There, you get a history lesson while I don’t think it would be the same experience here. It would be novel at first, but I think it would wear off very fast. I honestly don’t feel it is safe enough and conducive enough to have in Clemson.”
Mayor Pro Tem Butch Trent was more to the point, saying, “I think we need to tell them to just forget it.”
Mayor Larry Abernathy said he wishes Pedicabs could have become a reality in the city, yet realizes why that would be impractical.
“It saddens me that the downside outweighs any benefits,” Abernathy said. “But while it adds to the ambiance of downtown Charleston, we’re not Charleston.
“I went downtown, walked around and still can’t figure out how it would work.”
greg@dailyjm.com | (864) 882-2375
email E-mail story comments Discuss story ipodiPod friendly version
Share |
By Greg Oliver (Contact / Staff Bio)
November 20, 2009 - 12:00 a.m. EST
CLEMSON — Safety and convenience won out over novelty Monday night as Clemson City Council members agreed by consensus that a request for a Pedicab operation was not in the best interests of the city.
City Administrator Rick Cotton told council that since there was overwhelming opposition, the proposal did not require formal action.
Also known as bikecab, cyclo, trishaw and, more broadly, as rickshaw, Pedicabs are vehicles that are human-powered as a type of tricycle designed to carry passengers in addition to the driver and often used on a for-hire basis. Pedicabs are found in many cities, including Greenville, Columbia and Charleston, and Jason Pressley appeared before council last month to request a license to operate the service in Clemson.
During that meeting, Pressley admitted that reaction from Clemson University was lukewarm at best, and city officials also expressed concerns over the vehicle’s ability to operate in the downtown area. Cotton recommended Monday night that Pedicabs not be a part of the city, adding that Clemson “is just not a very convenient town in which to operate.”
“Clemson’s downtown is very narrow and, quite frankly, not conducive to pedicabs,” Cotton said.
Cotton listed concerns over staging areas; an unwillingness to have Pedicabs stationed on public sidewalks; concerns by Clemson Area Transit that route times could be impeded; safety issues compared to taxis, vehicles or buses; conflicts with football and other major events and nighttime visibility.
Clemson Police Chief Jimmy Dixon said his concern, from a law enforcement standpoint, is safety.
“Whoever operates this business is going to want to be in the immediate downtown area,” Dixon said.
Council members said they felt pedicabs were not a good fit for Clemson.
“Charleston is very level — we’ve got a lot of hills,” said J.C. Cook. “There, you get a history lesson while I don’t think it would be the same experience here. It would be novel at first, but I think it would wear off very fast. I honestly don’t feel it is safe enough and conducive enough to have in Clemson.”
Mayor Pro Tem Butch Trent was more to the point, saying, “I think we need to tell them to just forget it.”
Mayor Larry Abernathy said he wishes Pedicabs could have become a reality in the city, yet realizes why that would be impractical.
“It saddens me that the downside outweighs any benefits,” Abernathy said. “But while it adds to the ambiance of downtown Charleston, we’re not Charleston.
“I went downtown, walked around and still can’t figure out how it would work.”
greg@dailyjm.com | (864) 882-2375
