The Family

Light Wheels,

A 7-passenger human/solar electric-powered vehicle.

4’x10′. NYC legal pedicab. Wheelchair accessible.

Go, baby, go!

The steel frame will support plywood, aluminum, and polycarbonate body.

Room for two attendants too, one seated up front, one standing/leaning.

16 armrests. 12 fold away

8 windows. All open and close

7 seats. You can stand too

6 doors. Easy in and out

6 small trays. That also fold away

5 solar panels. To help power

4 wheels. 2 of them motorized

2 ramps. 2 wheelchairs/cargo

2 can pedal to help power

1 must steer and control speed

Armrests that can go vertical to permit wheelchairs easy passage and trays that can deploy into convenient surfaces for laptops or lunch.

Foldaway trays on armrests are coming together with magnets.

A steering mechanism, batteries, and controllers

Pedicabs are finally being considered a subject worth discussing.

The upcoming conversation is long overdue and very welcome. The new administration is a fresh opportunity to bring common sense to the pedicab industry. Beyond the obvious problems, the illegality of helper motors and prevalence of rip-off operators, there are a host of other needed changes:

This is not just a fringe activity, which exists, almost exclusively, to serve well-healed tourists. It is instead an important form of surface transportation, essential to move large numbers of people, (and goods) comfortably, smoothly, safely and economically, throughout the city. It can be an important new addition to the services available to those in wheelchairs. It can provide a vital link to those, especially in transit deserts, to connect to the extensive public transit system, to help fill the many gaps that now exist.

One major change could expand the role of pedicabs in many neighborhoods. These vehicles could follow a designated route, which intersects transit and, during parts of a day, follows a path which includes at least one shopping area, and one recreational or public space. The operators of such vehicles would be able to establish relations with all of the commercial and professional spaces along this route, craft a way to promote their businesses by giving them advertising on the vehicle, and access to their printed brochures and digital platforms. By, additionally, becoming the best local expert on available needs, including rentable spaces, and employment, the operator can generate serious income for themselves, along with the respect that comes from being a valued source of information, a neighborhood’s mobile concierge.

There are good reasons why some might just want to improve the existing system and simply make it little better. It grew into its current configuration, to a degree, because that is what the public wanted. It fit. It’s a fun way to explore a big park. On the other hand, there has been no effort to explore the ways in which the benefits of this activity could be maximized. When we created the industry, thirty years ago, it was enough to demonstrate that human-scale three-wheeled, human-powered vehicles, should have a place in a crowded urban environment. We also felt that small-scale entrepreneurship was a preferable form of employment, requiring a higher degree of self-reliance, and better income possibilities as well.

The shared vehicles concept we used in 1994 for pedicabs, was also a model, that has now turned out to be a very popular one in the city for different forms of bikes and ebikes. The problem now, is the narrow frame of reference that is usually employed, when discussing this important subject. It doesn’t even include its obvious sibling, cargo transport, or the potential to radically improve access to wheelchair mobility using the same equipment. Similar to the way that AI is changing the subject of information, the radical efficiency of lithium-ion batteries and tiny electric motors is performing that trick for human-scale urban transportation of all kinds.

The changes that need to be considered:

Scale: The prototype vehicle which I am now building allows for seven passengers, one of whom may pedal if they want. The Yellow Taxi industry was determined to limit the potential utility of this new form of travel by coming up with the absurd limit of three passengers. What restaurant has tables for three people? This also made certain that these vehicles could never be considered part of the transport system, would remain a trivial competitor. These crippling regulations have also served to keep the conversation about their potential to evolve and grow from happening naturally. Heightened interest in the ongoing climate catastrophe, in recent years, has now made harvesting the benefits that are now available to us from these advances, an urgent necessity.

Motors: Now that pedaled cargo vehicles are permitted to have these small “helper” battery-powered motors, there is no reason that they are not permitted on pedicabs. It might even be legally prejudicial. The industry will have no problem with a speed limit of 15 or 20 miles per hour, so there can be no objection to these motors being used. Some feel that it is sensible to insist that motors be pedal-activated as opposed to throttle-activated, in order to maintain the identity of these vehicles as human-powered. These motors also make heavier loads and needed weather protection practical, and age and gender diversity will benefit from this change.

Postures: Passengers can stand on buses and trains, which go much faster than pedicabs. The reason is that standing takes up only half the room of a seated person and more passengers mean a more economical system. Straps and poles enable users to feel comfortable while standing and it is considered a safe and ordinary way to travel. Why should this be forbidden in a pedicab? As it becomes a common form of transport, rather than an expensive indulgence, and cost is a factor, this should be an available alternative.

Abuses: like playing music at too loud a volume, one warning should be sufficient, and the second offense you must lose your vehicle or pay a huge fine, $1000 or more. Those who behave as though their unacceptable actions, which do great harm to others who are trying to make a living, are alright, do not belong in the business.

Stops: If one key purpose of these vehicles is to provide a form of transportation, they must be allowed to pick up a variety of passengers individually which current regulations do not permit. Clear signage and regular loading areas can aid in this change.

Advertising: Is permitted but no illumination of it, even though it is 30 years later and this form of advertising is now ubiquitous. If these vehicles begin to ply certain established routes, this kind of advertising will be a valuable aid to local businesses, who can use it to gain more customers and clients. Local residents and visitors can benefit from a better awareness of the local availability of goods and services.

Pricing: Signage must be huge and not displaying it properly should get your ride taken away and huge fines and loss of vehicle for subsequent offenses. No criminal activity should be tolerated at all and punishments severe to discourage bad practices.

Insurance: Requirements cannot be much greater than those imposed on yellow cabs, who cause much more damage and injuries than pedicabs, The existing system may be totally illegal and prejudicial.

Parking: On the street and hook-ups to charge batteries should be made available for overnight charging. These lightweight, small, quiet and safe modes must be considered as the most desirable form of transport and given every advantage to encourage their use. Multi-passenger and weather protected bikes are the next and needed step in building a system that uses minimal amounts of resources, with minimal negative impact on the environment and on the wellbeing of others.

Criminality: The historical lack of enforcement of existing regulations has permitted the proliferation of drivers who are willing to take advantage of potential customers by concealing rates and otherwise behaving badly. This would never have been tolerated in other aspects of the city’s commercial activity but it has been rampant here, for years. There is more fining and capture of miscreants’ vehicles lately, but the low level of punishment and random nature of the regulation has given this profession a reputation as potentially larcenous, which is unacceptable, and very damaging to all businesses and the city’s own reputation. Enforcement must be very harsh until this situation is remedied. Tolerance of criminality is a flashing sign of a city’s decline and cannot be tolerated by those in power.

Design: There is basically only one design of pedicab currently and it is a throwback to the 19th century, rickshaws that used humans as chattel, disposable and without humanity. Bikes are a big improvement over the original and motors make the task doable, but it is popularly viewed as a nostalgia-based novelty. It offers passengers a somewhat high degree of comfort and full protection against harmful elements, while the operators are expected to brave current weather conditions, no matter how harsh, wind, rain and snow, and accept this uncommon degree of abuse, without recourse. It is time to bring this profession into the 21st century, on behalf of both the operators and the general public.

Ubiquity: There is no reason why small-scale passenger vehicles, what we call pedicabs, should not be plying the streets throughout the five boroughs and in many types of neighborhoods. Since they have not been doing this historically, it would take time for a new form of local transport to be fully acknowledged, and its use as a delivery vehicle and for local phone-booked rides, would need to be interspersed with regular runs until operating at maximum intensity. Instead of standard models of new vehicles, (even my own), dominating, in many neighborhoods, local artists and craftspeople can be induced into cooperating in fabricating unique conveyances, that even may help to signify and give identity to their surroundings. Here is a local profit-making business, housed inside some mobile art, that can also serve a host of needed, various, purposes, like giving the usually homebound an opportunity to breathe some fresh air, with ease, and a little change of scenery, from time to time.

In sum: While getting the rip off artists off of the street, legalizing motors, and lowering insurance rates, are all important, so is the exploration of the many benefits that this form of travel has the potential to provide. Could this be one of the most gratifying and profitable forms of labor available to those working hard, under difficult conditions and with possible upside social and other rewards? Should there be an academy that drivers attend in order to become completely familiar with both the city’s assets and rules of the road? This is worth considering, along with all of the best ideas for moving forward, culled from both inside and outside the industry. What does the public need from this vital, potential surface transportation lubricant, and what do operators deserve, as their working conditions? There is no question that it is time for this important conversation to begin.

Contacts:

Email: StevenStollman@gmail.com Tel.: 212 431 0600

The Half

Light Wheels,

A hybrid Human/Solar/Battery/Electric-Powered

Introduction:

NYC-legal pedicab (and potential cargo-carrying) vehicle. Ten feet long, four feet wide, and six feet tall. It can be partially or completely open to the weather or totally enclosed. Its low platform permits it to be both an ADA-legal wheelchair and a hand truck accessible, by a ramp, which can serve either sidewalk or the street. There are two potential pedalers and room for six 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. It 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 business 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. Eventually, transport could be free (with tips allowed of course) if other income opportunities prove 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.

In order to conserve space, and thus maximize capacity, users will be provided with a device that helps them be comfortable in a somewhat standing position, supported in a number of different ways. While sitting can seem perfect, part of the reason for this is our natural proclivity to relax but also we do it to go along with prevailing norms. We are compelled, from the youngest age, to accommodate ourselves to seated positions, at church, school, and the dinner table. Certainly, there are times when this is ideal, but we are bipedal creatures, and while we don’t climb trees much, we walk and run and stand around talking like this is our most natural posture. If we can be erect, with some modest support offered to our glutei maximi, an enhanced perspective, and other advantages can chime in, along with the health benefits.

Straight ahead, all aboard, with a solar roof and fully accessible.
3 The other driver who is guiding the vehicle, steering, and braking.
6′, ADA-correct wheelchair/cargo ramp, and eventually publication cabinet.
Hand cranks feed energy into the battery, by passengers too eventually.

The Sociable

Light Wheels,

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. The hinges are aluminum, covered by 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 8’ 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, with 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.

The Cat

Light Wheels,

The CAT is a prototype we developed showcasing innovative ways to reconfigure and reimagine pedicabs to maximize their potential. Designed to inspire, The CAT offers a glimpse into how local creators can adapt pedicabs to meet specific community needs. The project encourages a rethinking of human-powered vehicles, highlighting their adaptability, low environmental impact, and potential for positive social impact.

The CAT project exemplifies the kinds of innovative solutions we hope to see from people around the world, each addressing unique transportation and sustainability challenges in their communities. It is an example of what’s possible through collaboration, creativity, and sustainable design.

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 predictable, like us.

Passengers may ride sitting
Passengers may ride standing
Can be used for cargo
Rise and shine

The Everybike

Light Wheels

An electric bike has outrigger wheels for stability,

foldable and removable, a weather cover with solar panels, hand cranks for extra power and upper-body exercise, can sit or stand in a yoke while pedaling, with space for a passenger. Still being perfected.

Contacts

Light Wheels,

For more specific inquiries or detailed assistance, please reach out to us by phone or email:

Steven Stollman:

Tel.: 212 431 0600

Email: stevenstollman@gmail.com

The images used in the website links are samples of possible development and they are not the official part of this undertaking.

Multi-limb-propelled

Light Wheels, ,

Multi-posture Weatherized Trike

Multi-limb powered
Multi-limb powered
Multi-limb powered

One version allows the rider to determine his posture when moving, from standing straight up to sitting or leaning or even practically lying down. Since maximum visibility is needed to provide safety, conspicuous extensions are deployed above the vehicles, aided by LEDs, to make certain that trucks, vans, buses, and cars are able to be aware of their presence at all times.

The Task

Light Wheels

There are some bikes everywhere now.

What is not there, are fully weather protected, stable and comfortable, up-to-date trikes. If vehicles are light enough, human power is relevant, and by using solar/electric assistance, travel can be pleasurable and healthful too. Until all of the relevant technologies evolved to this point, motors, batteries, controllers, etc., this advance was impossible. We have the tools now, to bring our bloated urban transportation systems, down to the Human Scale, to take a giant leap into a survivable future, and a much more beautiful and visually arresting place.

Most public spaces around the world have, historically, been monopolized by dangerous, oversized vehicles. The relevance of minimal transporters is now being acknowledged by City governments everywhere, and most of the public too. Whereas cars are too big, it is also true that hoverboards and scooters, even bikes, may be too small. They are all used, almost exclusively, only in fair weather. This is understandable, since cold can be magnified when you are moving, and rain is not much fun, and it makes pavements slippery and radically lowers visibility for drivers in dangerous, nearby cars. If every place were Copenhagen or Amsterdam this would matter less. Here and elsewhere, we have accustomed ourselves to a very high level of physical comfort though. We need vehicles that can be enclosed when necessary, and open when not, evolved designs that allow for group riding instead of just solitary, and as much artistry, creativity, and ingenuity put into these protective vessels as humanly possible.

Just as important as making it, is making it to last. There is a challenge, to make these things so they can well withstand the wear and tear of riding on rough roads, and that multi-person use of something is going to inevitably entail. There was a time when it was understood, that you made something to last as long as possible. Following that we had “planned obsolescence”, and trivial design changes to remain the “latest”. Now we need to go back to the original idea. Trolley cars lasted decades, even as they were updated and improved. Durability, especially when you are being punished by imperfect conditions, is crucial. It will also matter to have facilities that are able to provide repairs and improvements to a growing industry.

Safety matters greatly. Nobody should be expected to be harmed by the use of your product. Smooth loading and unloading of passengers must be assured. While in transit, users must be provided with comfort and ways of securing themselves to maximize their pleasure in this passage. No sacrifices are being asked for here. The point is to raise quality, access, and affordability, all at the same time by bringing things down to our “Human Scale”.

The street is also a theater. Sidewalks are full of audience members, and customers as well. Those operating these vehicles are putting on a show in which they are the star. The object is a stage and also a prop, a costume, and a statement. It cries out for lights and bright colors, to be as fantastic as it is practical. If it has been hired for a child’s birthday party it might assume one shape, if they’re for a wedding, something else. Have a Winter guise and a Tropical, a somber mien and a celebratory one.

An organization is being formed, which is intended to act as an expeditor, to instigate this activity everywhere, and help to expand the influence of this work. This effort is intended, partly, to ratify the good sense of using a kind of International Cooperative, as a model for taking action on urgent matters such as Extreme Weather. It is a way of exploring the energy that can be generated, by identifying one another, according to our interest in, and participation in, a relevant aspect of our common lives. This can be done by breaking down geographic and other nominal and irrelevant barriers to a peaceful, well-fed, and dignified population, able to move about freely and fully acknowledge each others’ humanity.

Along with agriculture, transportation has been scaled up, such that the consequences of the few players’ policies, are invisible to these immensities. Economies of scale can benefit us sometimes, but can also give all of the discretion to the largest factors, who will do anything to secure their status. A successful effort to radically improve the terrible working conditions under which those in this profession ordinarily endure may also help to make it possible for other groups, who are currently at the lowest end of the occupational ladder, to mobilize themselves, to generate the resources needed in order to improve their common lives.

The Big Fleet

The ultimate goal of this undertaking is the widest proliferation possible, the soonest, of the most environmental, healthy, unique, beautiful, and practical, human/solar/electric-powered vehicles. Some of these would be for-hire, passenger, and wheelchair-carrying models. Others would be intended for personal use, and still, others are designed to be used, primarily, to move goods. All of this is most suitable for dense urban environments since their speed would need to be limited, to maximize their safety for users and others. Making them no larger than they need to be, will permit more valuable space to be provided on often congested and crowded streets.

The expectation is, that as the public becomes completely comfortable with this needed transformation, the continuous acceleration of the process to replace the existing system, with one that is so much better, is assured. The durability of the objects produced must be of dependable and remarkably high quality. Their popularity, and the pleasure they provide, will make certain that nobody even pretends that they miss the old, deep-fake “ideal” system, that we had been convinced was our only alternative.

There is not enough room for the unlimited multitude of enormous trucks, buses, limos, delivery trucks, and private automobiles that jam urban spaces everywhere currently. Even if many of them were essential to our survival, they deny, rather than affirm, life. Adding fees has had a minimal influence on the volume of traffic. Even if some provide for needed services, while also representing a huge investment by their owners, they are, by and large, alienating, dangerous, bullying, toxic, homely, oversized, and out-of-place. To an infantilized population, all that activity may be fascinating and titillating, but the insanity of it is drowned out by its sheer volume and the zombie-like acceptance of all of this by the masses, propelled by media, all of which are addicted to the income earned by pushing consumerism.

The amount of time being wasted, the out-of-proportion helpings of food, and continuous noise, meld together and help to justify one another, to convince us that this is the only way. The disorientation that is the ordinary response to overloads of change, is to be expected. AI and the Pandemic are not just moving the goalposts, they are moving the poles. Horse stable owners at the turn of the last Century had the same problem. One had to do with sanitation, which biology rendered unsolvable. The other crisis had to do with the rapid increase in the scale of everything. Three-story buildings turned into 13, then 30, now 100+ stories. The success of cities is based on their ability to grow infinitely, giant black holes swallowing nearby stars, appearing to be inevitable. Unfortunately, this can fail to take into account the effect of all this change on ordinary people

Now that the effects of our common lifestyles are revealed to have been earned at the expense of the possibility of risking our survival on this planet, while also making an infinite number of other people miserable, recognition of the extreme danger that this distressing realization affords, is much closer. The remedies being offered to provide relief for this serious malady are very few and most are without sufficient effect to offer any hope of avoiding the worst of the looming alternative disasters. If the forests continue to burn, floods and droughts multiply, and the permafrost delivers enough methane to poison our atmosphere and render it unsurvivable, will the raising of MPGs by 2050 really matter? Even if it were 2040 or even 2030, this is the use of an umbrella in a hurricane. If there is a remedy here, it is going to have to arise out of the desperation of those many who realize the gravity of our situation and decide to devote some portion of their energies to meeting this serious challenge to our very existence.

There needs to be a wholesale re-evaluation of many aspects of our society, such as food, but the most pressing one is transportation, with its dramatic effect on our climate crisis. Soon, a fortune will be spent upgrading some transportation facilities, but almost all of it will be an effort to fortify existing bad habits while comforting the voting population that they will not tumble off their bridge any time soon. The amount devoted to supporting meaningful change in our behavior, which might provide us with some relief from the onrushing catastrophe that we are facing, will be minimal. There is no lobbying group with any major influence, that is asking the public to give anything up. That is not how you gain people’s support.

For that reason, the idea of generating an entirely new urban transportation system, based on lightweight, human, and solar/electric power, and, most importantly, creative energy, is so important. We are born ingenious but discouraged from employing this faculty or even appreciating it in others. Everything we would ever need is already here, we are told, and our role is merely to be a proper user, if possible by employing no more than a finger or two. We need to be careful that the new medium of virtual reality doesn’t become the final nail in our coffin, as we are convinced to abandon this imperfect plane, for one filled with ersatz majesty and unlimited possibilities, no matter how unreal.

Getting two hands and two feet fully back into the picture at this stage will not be easy. Designing and making things that work, especially at the highest level of the craft, requires serious effort. Few people have the personal freedom to simply devote themselves to creating something, no matter how important it might be, and neglect their other responsibilities. Help has to be found to provide some assistance to those endeavoring to do this. This project needs a framework, to encourage the artists, engineers, mechanics, and others who can contribute to this process to step forward. Putting up rewards, prizes and the potential for acknowledgment will be needed, to gain attention and motivate participants. This must be done, hopefully, without selling the “branding” opportunity that supporting this project might provide, especially to those with sketchy environmental credentials, who could use this for the purpose of Greenwashing their ordinary activities. That “help” would undoubtedly trivialize this quest, even negate it.

If this all can be financed and promoted by individuals, genuinely interested, preferably smaller, businesses, groups, and relevant non-profits, even enlightened Transit Agencies, it can happen now, in many places at the same time, and be both serious in intent and joyous in spirit. It is notoriously difficult to launch efforts of this magnitude, without the cooperation and financial support of some large entity. The likelihood that it will be misdirected or exploited increases considerably though when there is an “overseer”, especially when the intent of this program is to initiate the widest assortment of designs and approaches, rather than consolidating influence and rewards in any one place. It might be somewhat more difficult to utilize a bottom-up strategy to gain needed support, but this is the same energy direction that a human-powered device like a bike uses, and maybe it should also be the one that propels the movement to expand its growth and impact.

The Pedicab Project

Bringing Pedicabs into the 21st Century, all the way from the 19th must involve a complete re-conceptualization of this opportunity. Factors include urban transportation, localization, entrepreneurship, and information. There is no historical model for this approach, and to some extent, it is now possible only due to recent advances in technology. In New York City, and in many places with similar density around the world, there is a need for the creation of a service such as this. It would:

Call for the construction of vehicles, fully accessible to wheelchairs, no larger than the 120” x 54” limits now in effect in NYC regulations guiding pedicabs. These conveyances would be fitted with movable solar roofs and wall panels which can be consolidated, when the weather permits, allowing the vehicle to be completely open to the outside, like a bike. At other times, all of these clear windows will be closed to provide for the comfort of riders.

Allow the use of these vehicles to be varied in the course of the day. There would be two or three operators of each vehicle since it would be operational during a long day. It would be available for very profitable tours, private passenger or package delivery, while a portion of the time, it would ply an established route. These 20-60 minute circuits would take it to local transit locations and other important features of their neighborhood. A serious attempt would be made to hold to an approximate schedule. Locals would come to expect this service to be available on a regular basis. Depending on the neighborhood and the desires of the operators, this would happen five times a day or 35 times.

Although it increases the complexity, the most beneficial use of this opportunity would involve vehicles plying regular routes, during part of the day, while providing a host of other helpful transportation and other services at other times. There are other informational and community-based assets that could be enhanced this way, through the design of appropriate vehicles and the establishment of the resources necessary to educate, orient, and deploy local entrepreneurs as specialists in public information. If you have the latest and best information as regards living and working spaces, especially shared ones, you are entitled to use this information to provide you with some income. The same goes for local jobs, services, and educational and entertainment connections. There needs to be a legal framework designed and implemented, a way for charges to be billed, for instance, a way to track the location of vehicles on missions, etc. These resources need to be put into place, to provide operators, everywhere, with the tools needed to fulfill these tasks, as part of a non-profit cooperative. A corresponding digital, online reference point, must also be put in place, to expand the reach of these activities. In time, this element could become one of the most important and profitable ones.

It is expected that local travel, on its regular route, could be offered at no charge, although tips would be invited. This unusual arrangement is possible if the earnings from real estate, jobs, advertising, private transport, and other activities turn out to be sufficient, to provide for a very substantial livelihood. This does not take into account the other potential ways, in which involvement in this profession could enhance lives. Becoming a relevant part of an ongoing community can open up other avenues, social and business connections, and access to positive situations and possibilities. One can become a roving, but also fixed, element of the surroundings. In fact, some time should be spent, by each vehicle, at suitable locations within their routes, so that they might be accessed by locals who want to provide them with relevant information or access it. This provides for a rest period, perhaps a snack, and closer interactions with the rest of the local community, including the provision of free terminals. Some literature can also be available, and some resemblance of this phenomenon to the city’s historic network of local newsstands can be established. Any local publications can be provided with an outlet, including some of the more esoteric, art, poetry, literature, etc.

It is understood, that operators would need to be helped to master the skills needed to make this a very profitable and satisfying way to make a living. They would also need to perform their duties to a high standard of excellence to be enabled to continue their efforts. The plan here is that successful operators would need to agree to spend a certain minimal amount of time orienting new operators and helping them succeed. The intention here is to form a community of operators, who will democratically establish the means to guarantee the high quality of these activities, while expanding the operations continuously, in order to enable more people to craft these meaningful opportunities, to improve their own, as well as everybody else’s, lives.

It is expected that those involved in this program would begin their careers as operators, after appropriate orientation, etc. to determine whether they enjoy and are suited for this work. Once they are established, it will be possible for them to begin to earn ownership of the vehicle and the business associated with it. Over time, the multiple operators of each location will have an agreement among them that outlines their responsibilities and possible rewards. This requires a high degree of responsibility and maturity and will need to be guided by a set of mandatory practices, and a process for dealing with situations where these regulations are being ignored. Without one fully-operational example of this actually working, it may be difficult to convince anyone that all of this is possible. Granted, there are many unique, and therefore as yet unproven, elements here, and the right individuals will need to be recruited, initially, to maximize the possibility that it will work well, but the quality of this opportunity is such that it should attract the best candidates to take it on.

This will be organized as a profit-making venture, partly under the jurisdiction of a non-profit entity. It is a business that, along with being profitable and relatively trouble-free, also has the goal of humanizing this activity, aiding the urban environment, and providing a full measure of dignity to those engaged in the enterprise. It is being designed to do this, while also helping to enable local communities everywhere, to find their own voices, and generate the best available means of providing the essentials of life to all of their inhabitants. One feature here is in the form of an ultra-local, Craigslist-style resource, that can guarantee that unwanted resources can find a home, and would be welcomed by everyone.

The Half is an NYC legal pedicab, designed with some of these functions in mind. Regardless of its excellent suitability, it is hoped that, over time, other highly individuated and attractive designs for these vehicles will emerge and be put into use. If created with respect for the unique surroundings that it plies, these designs can come to represent their individual streets and neighborhoods, their history, and special assets. As well as being the most useful objects imaginable, they could also become some of the most distinctive and beautiful ones as well.

Pedalcabs Now

Small-scale transportation, like bikes, is becoming more popular and, it is increasingly realized, essential, all of the time, especially for use in crowded urban spaces. Here though, instead of a 21st Century masterpiece of a people-carrying vehicle, we have an enlarged baby carriage. Along with the outdated, Colonial Era, humans as draught animals, and equipment, we have archaic laws to go with them, and practices as well. This type of vehicle has the capacity to be the most desirable, sensible, environmental, friendly, and appropriate form of short-distance urban travel possible, so it needs to be encouraged in every way possible, not subjected to crippling, senseless restrictions. While conditions vary in different places, needed changes in New York City include:

Small, clean, and quiet electric motors, must not be prohibited as a matter of humane working conditions. There is extreme, unhealthy difficulty in pedaling around with human cargo that could easily reach 500 pounds. Preventing access to this modest improvement is inexcusable. Besides, in spite of their being prohibited technically, 95% of New York City’s fleet of these three-wheeled vehicles already employ them.

There is an unfair and unnecessary limit to two or three passengers. If they are to be part of the transportation system, rather than a service limited to deep-pocketed tourists, it must be made economical. (The Boston system is currently free-of-charge and tips are sufficient to keep drivers happy.) It is possible, given the additional power available with the use of these small electric motors, to sensibly and safely convey 6 individuals.

More than one person should be able to supply energy to the battery/electric system at the same time. There are many riders who might enjoy the opportunity to get some exercise while riding along. Fitness means healthfulness and needs to be encouraged. If rewards can be provided to those putting in the energy being used to move ahead, that would go a long way toward motivating this activity. The current prohibition was initiated as a way to prevent “conference” bikes with a half dozen riders from operating in a dangerous fashion but was mistakenly applied to all other bikes as well.

If we are only moving at 15 MPH or slower, standing should be permitted. It is fine in trains and buses that go three or four times faster. Appropriate handholds and specially-designed places to lean can provide safe transport. In fact, many people would prefer to be somewhat upright, if given the opportunity, to feel stable and comfortable, and as an added advantage, it is economical of space. Security belts can be available and provided to those desiring one.

It must be unacceptable for drivers to get soaked or be frozen, while working, or otherwise subjected to dangerous and unhealthful conditions. They must be given proper cover and reasonably comfortable surroundings. People can not be regarded as “Coolies” or treated as draught animals.

There should be no limits on the lighting of the vehicles. Except for classic Yellow Cabs, no other means of transport is forbidden or required to look a certain way. Individuality and diversity need to be encouraged and owners should be helped to become positive contributors to our visual environment.

Not being able to pick up different persons, en route, prevents this service from realizing its most beneficial identity, as a form of public transportation that also does work as livery and for private purposes sometimes

Mandating a “Unibody” construction for pedicabs makes no sense, especially since cargo bikes are utilizing all forms of trailers and, are now proliferating through every city. Their ability to lessen the burden of too many oversized trucks clogging streets is being seen as a potential boon to urban traffic flow, and that goes for pedicabs as well.

Given that these vehicles are also a form of public service, and are relatively small and unobtrusive, they ought to be allowed to park overnight along suitable curbs in some selected places, to help enable their widespread and convenient use.

In order to lessen concern that drivers will rampage down streets using motors, a voluntary speed limit of 15 MPH may be agreed upon by all of those in the industry, to eliminate the need for regulation. The safe operation will be enhanced this way.

At least some of the fleet must be made wheelchair-accessible. One result of this would be the same vehicles that carry persons could use their design to also accommodate cargo easily and expand their money-earning possibilities and overall utility. Besides, it is the law that at least a portion of any fleet works to expand handicapped access. An entire fleet of wheelchair-accessible vehicles could be deployed citywide this way as a serious improvement to the current access-a-ride system.

One use of this opportunity, perhaps the most beneficial, would involve some vehicles plying regular routes during part of the day while providing a host of other helpful services. There are other informational and community-based assets that could be enhanced through the design of appropriate vehicles and the establishment of the resources necessary to train and deploy local entrepreneurs as specialists in public information regarding employment, real estate, education, and entertainment activity.

Failure to display rates properly should cause you to lose your permit if done more than once. Negotiated prices must be permitted but accompanied by a clear understanding of potential charges. The good reputation of this industry must be restored.

Eventually, there will need to be a great many more of these vehicles, preferably scattered throughout the five boroughs. This should happen once the existing regulations have been modified in order to make them as fair and beneficial as possible. This can be thought of as an important early step in the urgent need to re-frame urban transportation, down from the industrial to the human scale.

The Future of Pedalcabs

Light Wheels,

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.

In Press

https://greenmap.org/about/partners-supporters

https://lists.bikecollectives.org

https://www.hcn.org/topic/energy-industry/page/110

Steven Stollman

Light Wheels

Longtime NYC Advocate

for human-scale vehicles, including electric-assist bicycles and pedicabs, as well as a stronger local, creative and public role in determining public-space issues. I imagine streets in the future filled with clean, quiet, weather-protected, multi-person conveyances that are beautifully and uniquely crafted, shaped, and decorated by human hands, gifting our roadways with color and rhythm, as well as safe and affordable transport, bringing a degree of charm and convenience to congested urban spaces everywhere that we are afraid to even dream of enjoying.

Total Articles: 41

The Testimony

Light Wheels

The following is testimony was given by me at the hearing at DOT today, May 29th, regarding the new rules covering ebikes:

The flowering, here in its most natural and needed environment, of human-powered, with modest electric assistance, and human-scale transportation, is the best remedy for the damage inflicted by 100 years of control of this vital aspect of our lives by the mining and manufacturing industries. Using tons of materials to move us from place to place within urban spaces, when tens of pounds will do just as well, makes sense only to those selling us this mistake, pound by pound, year after year.

When I asked a Swiss participant in the “Tour de Sol” electric vehicle event in 1989 why a country with only 6 million people had 90 percent of all of the solar vehicles in the world, he replied “We have no car company and we have no oil company”

Your actions today are opening the door much wider to a fully sustainable future. You are to be congratulated for that. Now please apply your new awareness to similar vehicles, like pedicabs and cargo delivery vehicles, that have the potential to replace dangerous, oversized and polluting alternatives.

Also, please permit those using this equipment in their work to modify it, to conform to your new requirements without having to purchase brand new equipment, if the result is exactly the same. This is an unfair burden to place upon anyone when it serves no valid purpose. You can, instead, institute a regular testing procedure to ensure compliance and the Department can use the opportunity to simultaneously provide some beneficial orientation regarding traffic rules and best practices.

TO THIS I WOULD LIKE TO ADD:

The New York Bicycling Coalition deserves much credit for bringing awareness to this issue over the last four years. They are currently leading the charge in Albany in order to bring forth appropriate legislation on the State level. Any help from DOT in this regard is most helpful and appreciated of course.

We need to learn to respond to situations such as this, whether it be new technology or unforeseen environmental effects, without waiting decades to assess and act. We may not have an infinite amount of time to deal with matters of this magnitude.

I was the NY distributor for a variety of electric bike brands, including Giant, Panasonic and FORD, without much success over the past decades and all of these machines fell far short of adequacy, since they relied on heavy lead acid batteries that made them very cumbersome. The advent of lightweight lithium ion batteries has changed the situation radically though and it is now virtually impossible to distinguish some electric bikes from non-electric ones. Most importantly, the onus of using these machines has all but disappeared. The bike culture has finally come to embrace these vehicles and those who use them. Instead of sneers you get intelligent questions about how they work. All over Europe and the rest of the world electric-assist vehicles are being welcomed. We are late to the party but at least we are getting there.

I am currently designing prototypes of wheelchair-carrying pedicabs that will require pedal-activated electric-assist motors to function properly. The benefits of this technology, especially to those with mobility challenges, will be enormous.

Thank you again, on behalf of all air-breathing animals.