The CAT

This prototype vehicle

was constructed in order to demonstrate some of the ways in which “Pedicabs” can be re-configured, maybe even re-conceptualized, in order to make full use their potential. They are now operating in many other urban spaces, in countries across the world. In some, they are already being converted to electric operation en masse, by law, in order to help improve the breathable air. Attention to their siblings, cargo and delivery cycles, is expanding exponentially, with next hour/same day/next day service the rule now. It is time to think about this subject seriously, rather than dismissing it as a bit of strange overpriced, nostalgia

The CAT is:

Only 40” wide, (it might like to be 48” to better accommodate side-loading wheelchairs), The city permits pedicabs to be 55” wide

Seven feet long, with an additional 40” for the foldable extension, which can provide for a second wheelchair or cargo use

Seven feet tall, in order to enable a 6’+ tall person to stand inside comfortably and provide some space for ancillary equipment

Depending on weather, is surrounded by clear polycarbonate windows, that can be folded away when not in use.

In order to maximize capacity, conserve space and provide for different postures, standing/leaning is possible and safe with restraints

It is steered with a tiller, and pedals provide some power, as well as controlling the speed, which maxes out at 15 MPH.

The roof is covered with solar panels, that can produce up to a third of the energy needed to move the vehicle during the day

The underside of the vehicle contains spaces for a number of re-chargeable batteries which can be charged in place or changed out

There will be a variety of services offered, Wi-Fi, device charging, telephone connecting, some now, some later

Operators of vehicles need to be very familiar with their territory and can profit substantially by providing job, space, and other help

Ideally there can be regular routes for vehicles, with ties to all local merchants and cultural and educational resources

Can serve on-call customer rides, wheelchairs, neighborhood and many other tours, cargo and freight, group rides

Wheelchairs can load from either side, the sidewalk, or from the back with a movable ramp to serve all openings

There needs to be room for up to 8 passengers in such a conveyance because sometimes there is that much need to fulfill

It’s called the CAT, because felines are some of the most interesting, engaging, loving, ferocious and ubiquitous fellow mammals

Also beautiful, puzzling, graceful, proud, individual, soft, as hard to understand as they are to dismiss, not unlike us, planet-mates

Leaping and pouncing, curling up and stretching out, demanding and self-possessed, mysterious and totally predictable, like us

1 Spaces can be open or closed. Ramp may be deployed to either side or back

The Future of Pedalcabs

The cargo business has recently been revolutionized and the same is needed here. It will involve more than motors, dimensions and the number of wheels. In order for this profession to reach its potential to provide benefits to both its participants and the general public, the original stunted, politically-charged legal process that defined the field and set the conditions, must be started over. The importance of the climate crisis, the defeat of congestion pricing as a way to improve vehicle circulation, the advances in helpful technologies and the ever present need for healthy, dignified, profitable and beneficial forms of making a living, demand that this subject be treated seriously. It should not be about a nostalgia gimmick, with operators subjected to bad weather while their clients enjoy comfort and splendor, but rather an honest attempt to maximize the improvements to our public spaces that a real program could provide. Design competitions and robust community discussions must be part of this, along with whatever incentives, financial and otherwise, can be gathered and mobilized.

The negative aspects of the current situation must not be permitted to conceal the larger questions. Otherwise, there may be some improvement in the most negative elements of the picture, but no real structural change in the nature of this activity, its definition as a minor form of entertainment instead of a major form of transportation, an important spur to local community development, and a form of artistic expression. The potential to fuse private and public travel, wheelchair and elderly transport, educational and pleasure tours, cargo, delivery and other improvements in urban life, is well worth exploring. If all that is asked is to throw out the bums, that is all that will ever happen. Even if that were to be accomplished, which is far from a certainty, that will be a total waste of an important opportunity to do much more.

We could use the participation of academic institutions. Some different public schools and Universities need to be contacted and invited to be part of something. We have a lot of them here, especially New York based ones, all can be given a chance to participate in this. It is about engineering and art and urban space allocation, the environment and employment and entrepreneurial opportunities, tourism and disability transport. There are advocates in each area, nonprofits and famous pioneers in their respective fields. I believe that the seriousness of this effort will determine its efficacy and scope. Sure, demanding big, lit up license plates on current pedicabs and fair and enforceable regulation is a worthwhile goal, but it is also essential that the relevant co-factors in this urgent and important work be mobilized and encouraged to make their contributions to this task.

The Half

Light Wheels

(Click The Half for the full text)

A hybrid Human/Solar/Battery/Electric-Powered,

NYC-legal pedicab (and potential cargo-carrying) vehicle. Ten feet long, four feet wide, and six-foot tall. It can be partially or completely open to the weather or totally enclosed. Its low platform, permits it to be both ADA-legal wheelchair and hand truck accessible, by a ramp, which can serve either sidewalk or the street. There are two potential pedalers, and room for four or more additional passengers. The shell is made of clear, weather-protecting, polycarbonate. There are 500 watts of solar panels on the roof. The comfort and safety of passengers are paramount. Can transform into a stationary source of local news at intervals.

I was one of the two founders, over 25 years ago, of this industry in NYC. Unfortunately, rather than an important, new form of transportation, pedicabs have come to exist, virtually entirely, as an expensive way to experience Central Park. The potential of this activity to provide the public with a needed new means of getting around the city, with huge environmental benefits and positive effects on healthfulness, was lost, when the taxi industry successfully lobbied to limit their impact on their industry. Many regulations need to be brought up to date. For instance, If they were to be permitted to be just a few feet longer than the current 10’, they could accommodate as many as two handfuls of people and ply regular routes, at a modest pace, as a supplement to the current options. They could be made unique, by artists and craftspeople from right in the City and its environs, even supplemented by creative efforts from around the country and the world. (Please take a look at the World’s Fair page that is adjacent to this one, as one possible way to further this idea.)

The very substantial, independent, and valuable employment created here can be in the form of individual entrepreneurs, establishing their presences, within geographically-defined communities, through their regular routes. This could be seen as a version of the traditional sidewalk newsstand, a conspicuous local statement about being a worker in, and therefore as a citizen of, a defined community. By becoming, perhaps the most knowledgeable person, about all of the businesses events and activities along their route, through the simultaneous posting of the very real and also virtual advertising, of real estate, employment, eating and entertainment and services, from legal to physical therapy, serious income, and status too, can be earned. Transport could even, eventually, be free (with tips allowed of course) if other income opportunities prove to be sufficient.

I call this design the Half because the rest of the story is still out there. It may be perfect in some ways to me, but it is not meant to supplant everything there and become the new standard. I hope it serves to do the opposite, a means to demonstrate the possibility of a wide range of the most different and exciting additions to the streetscape, while at the same time expanding fully-accessible transportation options and helping to develop a quieter, cleaner, and more beautiful city.

Less than half the size, (40 sq. ft. vs 18 sq. ft.), The Other Half is meant to provide a smaller scale, and similar in many ways, the complement to Half. The OH is personal transport, a big tandem trike, rather than this substantial object, that some might even want to call a mini-bus. I call it another missing link in the bike chain.

light wheels steven stollman — Straight ahead, all aboard, with a solar roof and fully accessible.

the half — A pedaler, or passenger, who is also hand cranking.

Contact Steven Stollman: Email | Tel. 212 431 0600

The Other Half

Light Wheels

(Click The Other Half for the full text)

A Trike. 3’ x 6’ x 6’ tall.

It can be wide open to the air or fully enclosed in a folding polycarbonate shell. It may carry one, two, or three people. One drive wheel is an anchored-in-place, pedal-able unicycle, the two others are hub-motor equipped, electric-powered wheels. The vehicle can travel, facing either the three or the six-foot side, either tandem-style or the more sociable side-by-side. The seats, and wheels, all pivot and move, easily, to enable this to happen. Use in dense urban spaces is what is expected here, and at a maximum speed of 15-20 mph to ensure safe operation.

The wheels are all linked together so that when facing the six-foot side, with the pedaler steering, all the wheels turn together. When facing the 3’ side, the pedaler steers, and the back wheels go straight, as in all trikes. Batteries are stored under the vehicle, which can be charged in place or slide out like a drawer and be rapidly replaced. A solar panel acts as a roof as well as a source of power. When an opening above is preferred it can be temporarily stored, with the rest of the body, alongside the wall. Hinges are aluminum, covered by the colorful fabric. Closings are Velcro and magnets. Seats are well cushioned and sprung, mounted on tubes that are anchored to the floor. They can be adjusted for height and face any direction, as well as be tilted, to allow for the most comfortable, supported, standing/leaning posture, or made level. Drive wheels are under polycarbonate covers, both for passenger safety and comfort and to maximize weatherization when enclosed. These structures are part of the wheels’ “forks”, turn with them and help stabilize them.

Current regulations in New York State demand that electric bikes and trikes be no wider than 36”, thus this design. Careful study suggests a limit of 48” wide, or even up to 72”, with a corresponding stretching of the length to 10’ or so, will eventually be regarded, in crowded cities, as optimal for many purposes. For example, this would permit wheelchairs to be transported properly on such a vehicle, or several passengers or a healthy load of cargo to be accommodated safely and comfortably. The OH is meant to test the absolute minimum of space and materials that must be required to begin to accomplish these tasks. There are considerable benefits to exploring this, the lowest level of consumption and simplicity of design, as one answer that offers a wide variety of rewards. It is not necessary to consider this as the only or best answer to this challenge, but it is, rather, a suggested first step in the right direction.

There is a 3/4” plywood floor, to which are attached aluminum poles, and steel angles. Poles anchor additional aluminum tubes, keeping seats and wheels in their proper places. Has appropriate lights, mirrors, and all other necessary equipment. The polycarbonate cover can be deployed partly, as desired, and the entire shell folds flat and can be stored alongside the back, This can be used as a personal vehicle, or for carrying passengers or cargo, as it is, without major modification. A full-scale working prototype is under construction.

For all further information, please contact:

Email: StevenStollman@gmail.com

Tel.: 1 212 431 0600