City leaders vote to bring in bike taxis to downtown St. Cloud
People living in St. Cloud will soon start to see pedicabs in and around downtown.
Thursday, city leaders voted unanimously for ordinance 2024-15 after it was presented to the city council in December 2023.
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City Council members said pedicabs will help with traffic congestion during large event functions.
A pedicab is a hatchback tricycle created to carry passengers on a for-hire basis.
City Economic Development Director, Antranette Forbes said the hours of operation will mirror the entertainment district, however, no drop-off or pick-up locations have been confirmed.
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Forbes said the pedaled-run vehicles will only be allowed in the designated areas, North of the Lakefront, Brown Chapel to the East, Mississippi to the West, and 13th Street to the South.
“I’m so excited about this but would like to keep in mind for the future that we have to designate staging areas for larger events and functions, so it helps the traffic patterns,” said Ken Gilbert, St. Cloud Council Member.
Multiple vendors will be able to operate, however, the council did not specify how many and each one must register with the city.
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Drivers of pedicabs will not be able to have music louder than 10 decibels, or to be reasonably heard by drivers or passengers. The city did not specify how much the pedicab driver would charge.
Forbes said that pedicabs in the city will require applications, insurance, and licenses for anyone who wants to operate one.
After passing the ordinance 2024-15, it goes into effect immediately.
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