by James Mayer, The Oregonian
Portland will regulate limousines and pedicabs for the first time under rules approved last week by the City Council.
The issue has proven difficult for the council -- in the past, it has abandoned efforts to bring limousines under the regulations governing taxis.
Commissioner Randy Leonard explained that cab companies are required to meet strict regulations, including being available 24 hours a day and providing service to anyone who requests it with rates set by the city, while limousine companies could compete unregulated.
The regulations provide that pedicabs and limousines, as well as shuttles, town cars and executive sedans, must have permits and meet certain safety and insurance requirements.
Limousines must offer prearranged service. They can provide "on demand" service in direct competition with taxis only if they have a contract with TriMet, the Port of Portland, a major hotel or airline company, and pay an annual license fee of $2,500 for the first vehicle and $1,000 for each additional vehicle. They must charge a minimum $50 for a ride from the airport to downtown.
Leonard said that's designed to thwart the practice of limousines "poaching" taxi passengers from hotels. Hotels will pay a $500 fine for allowing a guest to obtain limousine service without the required one-hour reservation.
Rates charged for shuttle service between the airport and downtown must be at least 35 percent lower, per passenger, than the prevailing taxi rates for the same route.
The rules restrict pedicab operation on sidewalks. Pedicab drivers must have a driver's license or a government-issued photo identification. And pedicab company permit holders must have commercial business and liability insurance.
Saturday, May 30
Vineyard Pedicab pushes for donations
By Lauren Folino
Islanders and visitors will have a colorful and unusual new way to get around in Oak Bluffs this summer. Vineyard Pedicab offers free rides in bright yellow, rickshaw-like bike taxis, as part of a fundraising effort built around an eco-friendly form of transportation.
Each of the cabs is basically a bench made for two, drawn by young person pedaling a bicycle. The service began on Circuit Avenue last week. There is no charge for a ride, but passengers are encouraged to tip.
A portion of the daily tips pays the drivers and maintains the taxis. Another portion goes to the Pan-Mass. Challenge, a benefit bicycle race for the Dana-Farber Cancer Institute.
The Challenge is the inspiration for the enterprise that Blake Harris and Kevin Murphy of Newburyport began in 2007, then called Newburyport Pedicab, and formed as a charitable organization to raise money for cancer research.
Brothers William and John Pasquina of Newburyport saw the cabs and decided to try out the idea in Oak Bluffs, where their family has a summer house. The brothers had been coming to the Vineyard since they were children, and both John and William had been pedicab drivers in Newburyport last summer.
On March 24, the brothers appeared before Oak Bluffs selectmen, asking permission. Town officials agreed to the Pasquinas' business proposal.
At the Edgartown selectmen's meeting on Tuesday, the Pasquina brothers, as well as Mr. Harris and Mr. Murphy, appeared before the board to ask permission to expand Vineyard Pedicab into Edgartown. The selectmen turned down the expansion request because they said they were concerned about public safety on Edgartown's already crowded streets.
Edgartown police chief Paul Condlin also said he was not in favor of Vineyard Pedicab's expansion because it would create safety problems and obstruct traffic.
In a telephone conversation Tuesday with The Times, John Pasquina, who manages the enterprise on the Island, explained how Vineyard Pedicab's financial operations work. He said that company sponsorships cover the costs of operating the pedicabs and help support the Pan-Mass. Challenge.
Green-friendly businesses that include Eco MV, the Martha's Vineyard Savings Bank, Sharky's Cantina, and Squash Meadow Construction sponsor a cab in exchange for advertising messages placed on the bicycles.
Islanders and visitors will have a colorful and unusual new way to get around in Oak Bluffs this summer. Vineyard Pedicab offers free rides in bright yellow, rickshaw-like bike taxis, as part of a fundraising effort built around an eco-friendly form of transportation.
Each of the cabs is basically a bench made for two, drawn by young person pedaling a bicycle. The service began on Circuit Avenue last week. There is no charge for a ride, but passengers are encouraged to tip.
A portion of the daily tips pays the drivers and maintains the taxis. Another portion goes to the Pan-Mass. Challenge, a benefit bicycle race for the Dana-Farber Cancer Institute.
The Challenge is the inspiration for the enterprise that Blake Harris and Kevin Murphy of Newburyport began in 2007, then called Newburyport Pedicab, and formed as a charitable organization to raise money for cancer research.
Brothers William and John Pasquina of Newburyport saw the cabs and decided to try out the idea in Oak Bluffs, where their family has a summer house. The brothers had been coming to the Vineyard since they were children, and both John and William had been pedicab drivers in Newburyport last summer.
On March 24, the brothers appeared before Oak Bluffs selectmen, asking permission. Town officials agreed to the Pasquinas' business proposal.
At the Edgartown selectmen's meeting on Tuesday, the Pasquina brothers, as well as Mr. Harris and Mr. Murphy, appeared before the board to ask permission to expand Vineyard Pedicab into Edgartown. The selectmen turned down the expansion request because they said they were concerned about public safety on Edgartown's already crowded streets.
Edgartown police chief Paul Condlin also said he was not in favor of Vineyard Pedicab's expansion because it would create safety problems and obstruct traffic.
In a telephone conversation Tuesday with The Times, John Pasquina, who manages the enterprise on the Island, explained how Vineyard Pedicab's financial operations work. He said that company sponsorships cover the costs of operating the pedicabs and help support the Pan-Mass. Challenge.
Green-friendly businesses that include Eco MV, the Martha's Vineyard Savings Bank, Sharky's Cantina, and Squash Meadow Construction sponsor a cab in exchange for advertising messages placed on the bicycles.
Free pedicab service around Fresh Pond begins in June
From Wicked Local
Cambridge —
Neville Place, an assisted living and memory support community overlooking Fresh Pond, announces the return of pedicab service around the perimeter of Fresh Pond beginning in June.
This free service, sponsored by the Fresh Pond Trust, is provided during the spring and summer to allow Cambridge seniors and local residents who might not be able to navigate the trail on their own to enjoy the beauty of such a relaxing, natural setting. Tours leave from the main entrance of Neville Place at 650 Concord Ave. continuously throughout the day, three days a week.
“The pedicab service is something that Neville Place residents look forward to each year,” said Jamie McWilliam, executive director at Neville Place. “It enhances their quality of life and provides an opportunity for them to get out and enjoy the sights and sounds of Fresh Pond in an extraordinary way.”
Each ride takes about 30 minutes to complete the main loop, giving riders ample time to observe the birdlife and wildflowers that abound throughout Fresh Pond. For reservations, call 617-233-6394.
Cambridge —
Neville Place, an assisted living and memory support community overlooking Fresh Pond, announces the return of pedicab service around the perimeter of Fresh Pond beginning in June.
This free service, sponsored by the Fresh Pond Trust, is provided during the spring and summer to allow Cambridge seniors and local residents who might not be able to navigate the trail on their own to enjoy the beauty of such a relaxing, natural setting. Tours leave from the main entrance of Neville Place at 650 Concord Ave. continuously throughout the day, three days a week.
“The pedicab service is something that Neville Place residents look forward to each year,” said Jamie McWilliam, executive director at Neville Place. “It enhances their quality of life and provides an opportunity for them to get out and enjoy the sights and sounds of Fresh Pond in an extraordinary way.”
Each ride takes about 30 minutes to complete the main loop, giving riders ample time to observe the birdlife and wildflowers that abound throughout Fresh Pond. For reservations, call 617-233-6394.
Pedicab services to be offered in Door County this summer
From NorhtWestern.com
Door County visitors will have a new option for traveling the downtown areas of Sturgeon Bay and Fish Creek this summer.
Advertisement
Two new businesses in the area are offering pedicab services. Pedicabs are bicycle-driven pedestrian taxis that offer an environmentally friendly alternative to short-distance travel.
"It's a great way for people to get where they want to go while enjoying the fresh air," said Angie Brusky, co-owner of Peninsula Pedicabs LLC in Fish Creek.
Brusky and her boyfriend, Josiah Lent, recently returned to Door County, where they were both born and raised, to start their pedicab business.
For Brusky and Lent, the decision to start a pedicab business stemmed from a love of biking, which is a definite requirement to haul between 600 and 700 pounds of weight up hills and around town at a pace of 15 mph.
"We've both been biking most of our lives," said Lent, who biked more than 4,000 miles last year and will be the primary driver for Peninsula Pedicabs. "It is great exercise for me and hopefully a fun experience for our passengers."
But exercise isn't the only reason entrepreneurs are turning to pedicabs: The dismal economy spurred Jim McCarthy of Sturgeon Bay to start his pedicab business, Fresh Air Cabs. McCarthy, owner of Uptop Roofing, saw one of his slowest winter's during his 20-year career last year.
"I'm lucky because in roofing, people still need to protect their investment, so I still had work," he said. "But I'm also getting up there in age (50), and I needed to think of another viable resource." During the cold winter, he thought of pleasant times he had as a tourist in Key West, riding from restaurants, bars and hot spots in a pedicab.
He liked the freedom that riding a pedicab gave him to kick back and not worry about parking, drinking and driving or noise.
"It's a cab service, but it's more about the experience," McCarthy said.
Although pedicabs are a new concept in Door County, they have actually been around in larger U.S. cities for many years, said Dan Werner, director of sales and marketing for Main Street Pedicabs, the largest manufacturer of pedicabs in the United States.
"Pedicabs started out in larger cities like New York, San Diego and Austin," Werner said. "It's only over the past several years that they have really taken off in smaller areas."
But pedicabs can be more than just a novel way for visitors to tour the downtown areas of certain communities.
"We are finding more and more that they provide a nice way for people who are physically challenged or have trouble walking to enjoy the outdoors in a way that a traditional taxicab does not," Werner said. "You can really enjoy the scenery — see the birds and the squirrels — and feel the fresh air and sunshine."
More than that, Werner said, pedicabs operators can be an ambassador for the towns they serve.
"We want to promote the community and let people know about our history," Lent said.
McCarthy envisions taking a lot of people to museums for the fireboat tours and back and forth from bars and hotels and over the bridges.
"Mainly, it will be short distances downtown," he said. "I want people to enjoy their stay here in Sturgeon Bay and not worry about getting picked up for intoxicated driving. They can just eat, drink and be merry."
Both businesses plan to be available at major county events and festivals, as well as maintain a regular presence in their respective communities.
McCarthy intends to operate his both day and night with a student partner, 23-year-old Cameron Voss, taking the day shift while McCarthy is at roofing jobs in the summer. McCarthy just ordered his new taxi and expects it to arrive in time for Memorial Day.
"I am really happy to hear that there is more bicycle-based transportation in Door County," Brusky said.
"It's really a unique way to experience the community, and I think it adds to the ambiance of Door County."
Door County visitors will have a new option for traveling the downtown areas of Sturgeon Bay and Fish Creek this summer.
Advertisement
Two new businesses in the area are offering pedicab services. Pedicabs are bicycle-driven pedestrian taxis that offer an environmentally friendly alternative to short-distance travel.
"It's a great way for people to get where they want to go while enjoying the fresh air," said Angie Brusky, co-owner of Peninsula Pedicabs LLC in Fish Creek.
Brusky and her boyfriend, Josiah Lent, recently returned to Door County, where they were both born and raised, to start their pedicab business.
For Brusky and Lent, the decision to start a pedicab business stemmed from a love of biking, which is a definite requirement to haul between 600 and 700 pounds of weight up hills and around town at a pace of 15 mph.
"We've both been biking most of our lives," said Lent, who biked more than 4,000 miles last year and will be the primary driver for Peninsula Pedicabs. "It is great exercise for me and hopefully a fun experience for our passengers."
But exercise isn't the only reason entrepreneurs are turning to pedicabs: The dismal economy spurred Jim McCarthy of Sturgeon Bay to start his pedicab business, Fresh Air Cabs. McCarthy, owner of Uptop Roofing, saw one of his slowest winter's during his 20-year career last year.
"I'm lucky because in roofing, people still need to protect their investment, so I still had work," he said. "But I'm also getting up there in age (50), and I needed to think of another viable resource." During the cold winter, he thought of pleasant times he had as a tourist in Key West, riding from restaurants, bars and hot spots in a pedicab.
He liked the freedom that riding a pedicab gave him to kick back and not worry about parking, drinking and driving or noise.
"It's a cab service, but it's more about the experience," McCarthy said.
Although pedicabs are a new concept in Door County, they have actually been around in larger U.S. cities for many years, said Dan Werner, director of sales and marketing for Main Street Pedicabs, the largest manufacturer of pedicabs in the United States.
"Pedicabs started out in larger cities like New York, San Diego and Austin," Werner said. "It's only over the past several years that they have really taken off in smaller areas."
But pedicabs can be more than just a novel way for visitors to tour the downtown areas of certain communities.
"We are finding more and more that they provide a nice way for people who are physically challenged or have trouble walking to enjoy the outdoors in a way that a traditional taxicab does not," Werner said. "You can really enjoy the scenery — see the birds and the squirrels — and feel the fresh air and sunshine."
More than that, Werner said, pedicabs operators can be an ambassador for the towns they serve.
"We want to promote the community and let people know about our history," Lent said.
McCarthy envisions taking a lot of people to museums for the fireboat tours and back and forth from bars and hotels and over the bridges.
"Mainly, it will be short distances downtown," he said. "I want people to enjoy their stay here in Sturgeon Bay and not worry about getting picked up for intoxicated driving. They can just eat, drink and be merry."
Both businesses plan to be available at major county events and festivals, as well as maintain a regular presence in their respective communities.
McCarthy intends to operate his both day and night with a student partner, 23-year-old Cameron Voss, taking the day shift while McCarthy is at roofing jobs in the summer. McCarthy just ordered his new taxi and expects it to arrive in time for Memorial Day.
"I am really happy to hear that there is more bicycle-based transportation in Door County," Brusky said.
"It's really a unique way to experience the community, and I think it adds to the ambiance of Door County."
Pedicabs are coming to downtown Chicago
BY FRAN SPIELMAN City Hall Reporter
Move over cyclists and horse-drawn carriages. Up to 200 pedicabs are coming to downtown Chicago.
Acknowledging that bicycle-powered taxis are already operating around Millennium Park, Navy Pier and Wrigley Field, Mayor Daley wants to license, regulate and open the city’s arms to them.
“Safety issues. If someone wants to get in, just make sure” that it’s safe, Daley said.
Pedicabs offer a quirky alternative that has the potential to become quite popular, just as they are in Europe, said Norma Reyes, commissioner of the city’s Department of Business Affairs and Consumer Protection.
“People are really interested in other forms of transportation — in terms of the environment, the green movement. The ambience. People like to be [transported] — not in a Corvette, but [by] a bike that’s open and being driven around,” Reyes said.
“They have about 500 in New York. They have ‘em in Miami and in other jurisdictions. The pedicab industry has been growing in various cities around the country. We started seeing pedicabs in Chicago about a year ago. There's definitely an industry here."
Oak Park and Joliet already authorized pedicabs and Naperville is about to join them.
The Daley-sponsored ordinance introduced at Wednesday's City Council meeting would require pedicab operators to purchase a $400 license that would only be issued to those with insurance to cover $50,000 worth of property damage, $100,000 to cover injuries to one passenger and $300,000 to cover multiple injuries.
Pedicab operators would purchase two-year, $50 permits that would be issued to those who are fingerprinted and pass both drug tests and criminal background checks. They would have to be licensed Illinois drivers, doctor-certified and at least 18 years old.
Equipment would be strictly regulated, with battery-operated headlights, tail-lights and seat belts required.
Unlike with taxicabs, the city would not regulate pedicab fares, but haggling that now goes on routinely between driver and passenger would apparently become a thing of the past. The fare schedule would have to be clearly posted. Drivers would be prohibited from charging more than that amount.
Pedicabs would be confined to city streets — not sidewalks — and limited to the downtown area roughly bounded by Oak Street, LaSalle, Roosevelt and Lake Michigan. To avoid rush-hour traffic conflicts, they would not be permitted on the streets before 7 p.m. Monday-through-Friday.
Passengers would be limited to three-per-rickshaw.
But, Daley joked, “We’re not gonna weigh people.
Move over cyclists and horse-drawn carriages. Up to 200 pedicabs are coming to downtown Chicago.
Acknowledging that bicycle-powered taxis are already operating around Millennium Park, Navy Pier and Wrigley Field, Mayor Daley wants to license, regulate and open the city’s arms to them.
“Safety issues. If someone wants to get in, just make sure” that it’s safe, Daley said.
Pedicabs offer a quirky alternative that has the potential to become quite popular, just as they are in Europe, said Norma Reyes, commissioner of the city’s Department of Business Affairs and Consumer Protection.
“People are really interested in other forms of transportation — in terms of the environment, the green movement. The ambience. People like to be [transported] — not in a Corvette, but [by] a bike that’s open and being driven around,” Reyes said.
“They have about 500 in New York. They have ‘em in Miami and in other jurisdictions. The pedicab industry has been growing in various cities around the country. We started seeing pedicabs in Chicago about a year ago. There's definitely an industry here."
Oak Park and Joliet already authorized pedicabs and Naperville is about to join them.
The Daley-sponsored ordinance introduced at Wednesday's City Council meeting would require pedicab operators to purchase a $400 license that would only be issued to those with insurance to cover $50,000 worth of property damage, $100,000 to cover injuries to one passenger and $300,000 to cover multiple injuries.
Pedicab operators would purchase two-year, $50 permits that would be issued to those who are fingerprinted and pass both drug tests and criminal background checks. They would have to be licensed Illinois drivers, doctor-certified and at least 18 years old.
Equipment would be strictly regulated, with battery-operated headlights, tail-lights and seat belts required.
Unlike with taxicabs, the city would not regulate pedicab fares, but haggling that now goes on routinely between driver and passenger would apparently become a thing of the past. The fare schedule would have to be clearly posted. Drivers would be prohibited from charging more than that amount.
Pedicabs would be confined to city streets — not sidewalks — and limited to the downtown area roughly bounded by Oak Street, LaSalle, Roosevelt and Lake Michigan. To avoid rush-hour traffic conflicts, they would not be permitted on the streets before 7 p.m. Monday-through-Friday.
Passengers would be limited to three-per-rickshaw.
But, Daley joked, “We’re not gonna weigh people.
City council votes to double the number of pedicab licences
By Rebecca tebrake, VANCOUVER SUN
VANCOUVER - There may be twice as many pedicabs on Vancouver streets this year after city council agreed Thursday to double the number of available licences to 60 from 30.
The decision comes after demand for licences spiked this year, to a record 43 requests compared to 30 in 2008 and 10 in 2007.
Tom Hammel, the city’s chief licence inspector, said he didn’t know why demand had spiked, but speculated it might be related to the Olympics or tourism in general.
Patrick Balian, general manager of Cruise Cabs, which has been operating the bicycle taxis in Vancouver since 2007, said the reason for the increased demand has “gotta be the Olympics.”
Eighty per cent of the customers riding in his company’s 10 pedicabs are locals, mostly party-goers along the Granville Street bar district.
Balian is concerned about the increase in available licences during an economic downturn.
“Our drivers are making 40-per-cent less money now than last year,” said Balian, who asked council to consider increasing the number of available licences by 20 per cent annually instead.
Still, economics didn’t stop Balian and his business partner Kathleen Granados from adding eight new licences to their operation. Granados said they are committed to the business long-term and want to keep building even during tough times.
They had a “hiring spree” this year, taking on 25 new employees, mostly students or people also working in the entertainment industry.
The licences cost $146 each year.
“You don’t have to take it if you don’t need it and if you do think the economic circumstance is so dire, you won’t buy a pedicab,” said Coun. Kerry Jang.
Council also restricted advertising space on pedicabs to a maximum of 0.45 square metres on the rear of the pedicab.
Previously the whole pedicab was available for advertising space. Now, pedicabs will have to display business names and identification numbers to ensure consumers with a complaint can identify the cab they used.
Safety requirements for pedicabs were also strengthened. They now must have rear hydraulic braking systems as well as a front braking system.
VANCOUVER - There may be twice as many pedicabs on Vancouver streets this year after city council agreed Thursday to double the number of available licences to 60 from 30.
The decision comes after demand for licences spiked this year, to a record 43 requests compared to 30 in 2008 and 10 in 2007.
Tom Hammel, the city’s chief licence inspector, said he didn’t know why demand had spiked, but speculated it might be related to the Olympics or tourism in general.
Patrick Balian, general manager of Cruise Cabs, which has been operating the bicycle taxis in Vancouver since 2007, said the reason for the increased demand has “gotta be the Olympics.”
Eighty per cent of the customers riding in his company’s 10 pedicabs are locals, mostly party-goers along the Granville Street bar district.
Balian is concerned about the increase in available licences during an economic downturn.
“Our drivers are making 40-per-cent less money now than last year,” said Balian, who asked council to consider increasing the number of available licences by 20 per cent annually instead.
Still, economics didn’t stop Balian and his business partner Kathleen Granados from adding eight new licences to their operation. Granados said they are committed to the business long-term and want to keep building even during tough times.
They had a “hiring spree” this year, taking on 25 new employees, mostly students or people also working in the entertainment industry.
The licences cost $146 each year.
“You don’t have to take it if you don’t need it and if you do think the economic circumstance is so dire, you won’t buy a pedicab,” said Coun. Kerry Jang.
Council also restricted advertising space on pedicabs to a maximum of 0.45 square metres on the rear of the pedicab.
Previously the whole pedicab was available for advertising space. Now, pedicabs will have to display business names and identification numbers to ensure consumers with a complaint can identify the cab they used.
Safety requirements for pedicabs were also strengthened. They now must have rear hydraulic braking systems as well as a front braking system.
Green Leaf Pedicabs To expand to courier service
From What's up Pub
Green Leaf Pedicabs, the company that has been providing bicyclist-propelled transportation to Downtown El Pasoans since December, will soon expand to offer a new eco-friendly service, dubbed Green Leaf Courier. And the company is in need of drivers.
�I see a lot of people moving back and forth between offices with carts or dollies stacked with boxes, and I wanted to offer a delivery service that doesn�t use fuel,� said co-owner and operator Charles Lauser. �And for food delivery for restaurants, also; that�s going to be our biggest clientele.�
Green Leaf Courier is awaiting the completion of a new courier vehicle before it gets approval by City Council. The service hopes to be up and running next week, although the pedicab is already making deliveries for Downtown eatery Tortugas restaurant.
�It is the most earth-friendly delivery service in El Paso,� Lauser said. �It (the courier service) will be available every day.�
Since opening last December, Green Leaf Pedicabs has more than doubled its pedicabs Downtown, expanded its club transit hours, and made the service available to private parties including quincea�eras and weddings.
�We need more people to drive the pedicabs,� Lauser said. �Drivers average $25 an hour, and they really enjoy the work.�
Drivers also get a work-out while getting paid, Lauser said.
�I started (driving the pedicabs) at 210 lbs., and now I�m 150,� Lauser said. �We want to get the word out to El Pasoans to go out and ride their bicycles, and realize the advantages: it�s fun and it�s healthy.�
All current Green Leaf Pedicabs employees are college students.
�I make my own hours; it�s way convenient for me and makes good money, which I need for college right now,� said Green Leaf Pedicab driver and EPCC biology student Josue Enriquez. �And it�s very good exercise.�
Green Leaf Pedicabs provides fixed-route tours of downtown. Drivers offer historical tidbits from the book �The History of the Union Plaza District� by Fred Morales.
�Sights include Maggofin (Home), Pancho Villa stash house, The Mansion Hotel �, and the San Francisco historic district including The Union Depot,� said co-owner and operator Ray Campos. �Because (employees) are giving tours, we want them to be outgoing and be comfortable with people. We look for people who are physically fit, reliable, like to have fun, social and like to talk to the customers. It�s perfect for students � we�re very flexible on our hours.�
As part of the expansion, Green Leaf Pedicabs now offers bike repairs at its office at 400 W. Overland, and bike rentals are slated to begin next month.
�The experience is an eco-friendly service that is complementing the revitalization of Downtown El Paso and small businesses as well,� Campos said. �We�re currently focusing on Downtown El Paso but hopefully in the very near future we�ll expand to Las Cruces and Mesilla.�
Green Leaf Pedicabs
Hours:
Monday�Friday: 11 a.m.�4 p.m.
Friday�Saturday: 9:45 a.m.�2:45 p.m.
Green Leaf Courier hours to be announced
For more information on bike rentals,
repairs, advertisement and employment
visit greenleafpedicab.com.
Green Leaf Pedicabs, the company that has been providing bicyclist-propelled transportation to Downtown El Pasoans since December, will soon expand to offer a new eco-friendly service, dubbed Green Leaf Courier. And the company is in need of drivers.
�I see a lot of people moving back and forth between offices with carts or dollies stacked with boxes, and I wanted to offer a delivery service that doesn�t use fuel,� said co-owner and operator Charles Lauser. �And for food delivery for restaurants, also; that�s going to be our biggest clientele.�
Green Leaf Courier is awaiting the completion of a new courier vehicle before it gets approval by City Council. The service hopes to be up and running next week, although the pedicab is already making deliveries for Downtown eatery Tortugas restaurant.
�It is the most earth-friendly delivery service in El Paso,� Lauser said. �It (the courier service) will be available every day.�
Since opening last December, Green Leaf Pedicabs has more than doubled its pedicabs Downtown, expanded its club transit hours, and made the service available to private parties including quincea�eras and weddings.
�We need more people to drive the pedicabs,� Lauser said. �Drivers average $25 an hour, and they really enjoy the work.�
Drivers also get a work-out while getting paid, Lauser said.
�I started (driving the pedicabs) at 210 lbs., and now I�m 150,� Lauser said. �We want to get the word out to El Pasoans to go out and ride their bicycles, and realize the advantages: it�s fun and it�s healthy.�
All current Green Leaf Pedicabs employees are college students.
�I make my own hours; it�s way convenient for me and makes good money, which I need for college right now,� said Green Leaf Pedicab driver and EPCC biology student Josue Enriquez. �And it�s very good exercise.�
Green Leaf Pedicabs provides fixed-route tours of downtown. Drivers offer historical tidbits from the book �The History of the Union Plaza District� by Fred Morales.
�Sights include Maggofin (Home), Pancho Villa stash house, The Mansion Hotel �, and the San Francisco historic district including The Union Depot,� said co-owner and operator Ray Campos. �Because (employees) are giving tours, we want them to be outgoing and be comfortable with people. We look for people who are physically fit, reliable, like to have fun, social and like to talk to the customers. It�s perfect for students � we�re very flexible on our hours.�
As part of the expansion, Green Leaf Pedicabs now offers bike repairs at its office at 400 W. Overland, and bike rentals are slated to begin next month.
�The experience is an eco-friendly service that is complementing the revitalization of Downtown El Paso and small businesses as well,� Campos said. �We�re currently focusing on Downtown El Paso but hopefully in the very near future we�ll expand to Las Cruces and Mesilla.�
Green Leaf Pedicabs
Hours:
Monday�Friday: 11 a.m.�4 p.m.
Friday�Saturday: 9:45 a.m.�2:45 p.m.
Green Leaf Courier hours to be announced
For more information on bike rentals,
repairs, advertisement and employment
visit greenleafpedicab.com.
Gearing up for new business, pedicab company will offer free rides Read more: "Gearing up for new business, pedicab company will offer free rides" -
From NYDailynews.com
Pedicabs aren't just for tourists anymore: Beginning next month, people in Harlem can come on and take a free ride.
Amir Chizic, owner of BicyTaxi NYC, is sending 10 pedicabs uptown to offer free trips within 20 blocks of 125th St.
The gratis rides will be supported - at least for the first three months - by advertising, he said.
"It's such a good thing for the environment, you know?" said Chizic, whose business currently caters to the midtown tourist trade.
"There's so much pollution out there," he said of Harlem, where one in four children suffers from asthma.
Nadine Varra, of Harlem, plans to use the pedicabs to make grocery store runs. "If it's free, I would use it," she said.
Chizic is still looking for a place to store his fleet, but promised Harlemites will see his pedicabs - plastered inside and out with advertisements - beginning June 1.
He may soon have competition. Bill Clinger, controller of midtown-based Revolution Rickshaws, said he sees potential for expansion into Harlem.
"I think it's a market that's just waiting to be tapped into," he said. "There's a lot of people that need to get moved around...I'd like to get up there pretty soon."
Pedicab rides may turn out to be popular in Harlem, if a recent event is any indication.
A group called Safe, Healthy, Affordable and Reliable Energy (SHARE) set up a stand on 125th St. and offered free rides as a part of an Earth Day promotion.
Pedicab drivers were busy throughout the day, said Gregory Joseph of SHARE, which advocates environmentally friendly transportation.
"One reason this event was so appealing is because pedicabs don't frequent uptown, and given the asthma rates, they really should," said Joseph.
The move to Harlem comes at a time when pedicab fleet owners are dealing with a variety of woes.
Cops are cracking down on reckless pedicab drivers who break traffic laws. The police are also seeking to boot lone-wolf operators who don't have the required insurance for their three-wheelers and give the legit businesses a bad name.
In 2007, the City Council approved legislation limiting the number of pedicabs in the city to 325.
Owners must purchase insurance comparable to that of a medallion taxi and get their pedicabs regularly inspected. There are periodic threats from lawmakers to impose more restrictions.
But perhaps the biggest roadblock owners face in expanding their businesses beyond the tourist trade is the shaky reputation pedicabs have among New Yorkers.
Some fleet owners, including Chizic, say a free ride is the only way to get locals to step in pedicabs.
The owners also are hoping impending mass transit and taxi fare hikes - as well as the nice weather - could drive more New Yorkers to the pedal-powered people movers, which can each hold up to three people.
But Danny Barsas of Cycle Central Park, a bike rental and pedicab company, said that moving pedicabs to Harlem is a risky proposition, and he wouldn't consider it.
"Midtown is a gold mine," said Barsas. "Tourists make 80% of all clients and all the tourist attractions are in midtown."
"There's parts of Harlem, like the park, where you might be able to make money on the weekend, but you can't rely on that," he added.
Some Harlem residents said they were simply a little leery of pedicabs.
"Isn't it mainly tourists who take them?" asked Harlemite Maria Nicols.
Read more: "Gearing up for new business, pedicab company will offer free rides" - http://www.nydailynews.com/ny_local/bronx/2009/05/17/2009-05-17_gearing_up_for_new_business_pedicab_company_will_offer_free_rides.html#ixzz0GyLXlKRd&A
Pedicabs aren't just for tourists anymore: Beginning next month, people in Harlem can come on and take a free ride.
Amir Chizic, owner of BicyTaxi NYC, is sending 10 pedicabs uptown to offer free trips within 20 blocks of 125th St.
The gratis rides will be supported - at least for the first three months - by advertising, he said.
"It's such a good thing for the environment, you know?" said Chizic, whose business currently caters to the midtown tourist trade.
"There's so much pollution out there," he said of Harlem, where one in four children suffers from asthma.
Nadine Varra, of Harlem, plans to use the pedicabs to make grocery store runs. "If it's free, I would use it," she said.
Chizic is still looking for a place to store his fleet, but promised Harlemites will see his pedicabs - plastered inside and out with advertisements - beginning June 1.
He may soon have competition. Bill Clinger, controller of midtown-based Revolution Rickshaws, said he sees potential for expansion into Harlem.
"I think it's a market that's just waiting to be tapped into," he said. "There's a lot of people that need to get moved around...I'd like to get up there pretty soon."
Pedicab rides may turn out to be popular in Harlem, if a recent event is any indication.
A group called Safe, Healthy, Affordable and Reliable Energy (SHARE) set up a stand on 125th St. and offered free rides as a part of an Earth Day promotion.
Pedicab drivers were busy throughout the day, said Gregory Joseph of SHARE, which advocates environmentally friendly transportation.
"One reason this event was so appealing is because pedicabs don't frequent uptown, and given the asthma rates, they really should," said Joseph.
The move to Harlem comes at a time when pedicab fleet owners are dealing with a variety of woes.
Cops are cracking down on reckless pedicab drivers who break traffic laws. The police are also seeking to boot lone-wolf operators who don't have the required insurance for their three-wheelers and give the legit businesses a bad name.
In 2007, the City Council approved legislation limiting the number of pedicabs in the city to 325.
Owners must purchase insurance comparable to that of a medallion taxi and get their pedicabs regularly inspected. There are periodic threats from lawmakers to impose more restrictions.
But perhaps the biggest roadblock owners face in expanding their businesses beyond the tourist trade is the shaky reputation pedicabs have among New Yorkers.
Some fleet owners, including Chizic, say a free ride is the only way to get locals to step in pedicabs.
The owners also are hoping impending mass transit and taxi fare hikes - as well as the nice weather - could drive more New Yorkers to the pedal-powered people movers, which can each hold up to three people.
But Danny Barsas of Cycle Central Park, a bike rental and pedicab company, said that moving pedicabs to Harlem is a risky proposition, and he wouldn't consider it.
"Midtown is a gold mine," said Barsas. "Tourists make 80% of all clients and all the tourist attractions are in midtown."
"There's parts of Harlem, like the park, where you might be able to make money on the weekend, but you can't rely on that," he added.
Some Harlem residents said they were simply a little leery of pedicabs.
"Isn't it mainly tourists who take them?" asked Harlemite Maria Nicols.
Read more: "Gearing up for new business, pedicab company will offer free rides" - http://www.nydailynews.com/ny_local/bronx/2009/05/17/2009-05-17_gearing_up_for_new_business_pedicab_company_will_offer_free_rides.html#ixzz0GyLXlKRd&A
Bicycle built for three comes downtown
From Naperville Sun
Ever think you'd see taxis powered by man in Naperville? Well, they're here.
Brett Dingeldein, a Naperville resident since 1961, along with his son Matthew are co-owners of GreenStreet Pedicabs. Pedicabs, which are bicycle-powered taxis that carry two passengers, were set to roll Saturday.
According to Dingeldein, "depending on traffic, the hours are 4 p.m. to 2 a.m. on Fridays and Saturdays with 3 p.m. to 8 p.m. Sundays and holidays."
The pedicabs were delivered May 18 and lettering was applied May 19. Dingeldein anticipates increased popularity of the pedicab service, so college students will eventually be added to his staff. Naperville joins a host of other trendy locations in offering this unique green transportation.
The proposed rate schedule is: train station to downtown, $5; train station to Naper Settlement, $7; and an hourlong ride through town, $50. For an impromptu pickup, GreenStreet can be reached on the run at 630-202-2232.
COMINGS:
Getting a bigger bang for your buck with mom
Helping you save some dough is the mission of Zohra Shaik, the sole proprietor of the 600-square-foot Mom & Me shop at 120 S. Webster, on the first floor of the Paw Paw Building, corner of Jefferson and Webster.
Mom & Me started to roll out the bargains May 19.
This store targets the whole family and brings brand-name items at hugely discounted prices. Mom & Me will carry such products as children's toys and games, fine dinnerware, contemporary cookware, kitchen tools and appliances, home decor, bedding and bath, ethnic and modern jewelry, unique gifts and more. Merchandise is brought in daily to keep the bargains coming.
Comings:
When you need more than a spoonful of sugar
On May 1, Naperville Family and Internal Medicine opened at 2720 Hassert Blvd., in the Republic Bank Building.
Doctors Sumin Shah and Claudia Vera are both available for patients Monday through Saturday with same-day appointments often available.
Shah has been practicing for more than five years and is board certified in family medicine and is becoming certified in weight-loss medicine. Vera is board certified in internal medicine and is fluent in both English and Spanish. Vera has been practicing medicine for more than 10 years.
Going:
Trekking north to different pastures
Prairie Loft, which markets prairie-inspired items -- especially furniture and rugs, will leave the Design Pointe Center on Brookdale and Route 59 at the end of June. The store will relocate to the Arboretum of South Barrington.
Deborah and Lock Lee design finely crafted, moderately priced furniture for their Prairie Loft customers. Their expanding line of prairie furniture and accessories can be crafted in mahogany and custom woods such as quartersawn oak or cherry.
This 1,500-square-foot location was among the first five businesses to open at the Design Point Center. Visit the store during the next several weeks as they prepare to close one chapter and prepare to open another. All furniture, mirrors, rugs, and Prairie Loft made accessories are to be sold, nothing is to be held back! Comings and goings
Ever think you'd see taxis powered by man in Naperville? Well, they're here.
Brett Dingeldein, a Naperville resident since 1961, along with his son Matthew are co-owners of GreenStreet Pedicabs. Pedicabs, which are bicycle-powered taxis that carry two passengers, were set to roll Saturday.
According to Dingeldein, "depending on traffic, the hours are 4 p.m. to 2 a.m. on Fridays and Saturdays with 3 p.m. to 8 p.m. Sundays and holidays."
The pedicabs were delivered May 18 and lettering was applied May 19. Dingeldein anticipates increased popularity of the pedicab service, so college students will eventually be added to his staff. Naperville joins a host of other trendy locations in offering this unique green transportation.
The proposed rate schedule is: train station to downtown, $5; train station to Naper Settlement, $7; and an hourlong ride through town, $50. For an impromptu pickup, GreenStreet can be reached on the run at 630-202-2232.
COMINGS:
Getting a bigger bang for your buck with mom
Helping you save some dough is the mission of Zohra Shaik, the sole proprietor of the 600-square-foot Mom & Me shop at 120 S. Webster, on the first floor of the Paw Paw Building, corner of Jefferson and Webster.
Mom & Me started to roll out the bargains May 19.
This store targets the whole family and brings brand-name items at hugely discounted prices. Mom & Me will carry such products as children's toys and games, fine dinnerware, contemporary cookware, kitchen tools and appliances, home decor, bedding and bath, ethnic and modern jewelry, unique gifts and more. Merchandise is brought in daily to keep the bargains coming.
Comings:
When you need more than a spoonful of sugar
On May 1, Naperville Family and Internal Medicine opened at 2720 Hassert Blvd., in the Republic Bank Building.
Doctors Sumin Shah and Claudia Vera are both available for patients Monday through Saturday with same-day appointments often available.
Shah has been practicing for more than five years and is board certified in family medicine and is becoming certified in weight-loss medicine. Vera is board certified in internal medicine and is fluent in both English and Spanish. Vera has been practicing medicine for more than 10 years.
Going:
Trekking north to different pastures
Prairie Loft, which markets prairie-inspired items -- especially furniture and rugs, will leave the Design Pointe Center on Brookdale and Route 59 at the end of June. The store will relocate to the Arboretum of South Barrington.
Deborah and Lock Lee design finely crafted, moderately priced furniture for their Prairie Loft customers. Their expanding line of prairie furniture and accessories can be crafted in mahogany and custom woods such as quartersawn oak or cherry.
This 1,500-square-foot location was among the first five businesses to open at the Design Point Center. Visit the store during the next several weeks as they prepare to close one chapter and prepare to open another. All furniture, mirrors, rugs, and Prairie Loft made accessories are to be sold, nothing is to be held back! Comings and goings
Saltzman creates new pedicab committee to oversee policy changes
From BikePortland.org
Today in City Council chambers, Commissioner Dan Saltzman proposed an amendment to the City of Portland’s proposed changes to the Private For Hire code. The amendment, which passed unanimously, will create an ad-hoc committee to address the issue of how the City regulates pedicabs.
Last month, we reported that one local pedicab business owner, Ryan Hashagen of Portland Cascadia Pedicabs, was very concerned that the new code would have a negative impact on his business.
The City issued a statement refuting Hashagen’s concerns, but that didn’t stop Hashagen from swinging into action. He organized fellow pedicab owners, he rounded up pedicab operators to testify at City Hall, he did the local media circuit, and he met with Commissioner Saltzman to present his concerns.
Now it seems like Hashagen’s work has paid off.
According to Hashagen, the new committee would include representatives from pedicab companies, pedicab operators, the BTA, PBOT, the Police Bureau and the Revenue Bureau. The committee will be tasked to meet and come back to Council within 60-90 days with revisions to the current Private For-Hire code, or Hashagen says, “Maybe even an entirely new set of codes specific to pedicabs.”
The proposed Private For Hire code changes are slated for a Council vote next week. In its current form, Hashagen says that it still contains “huge contradictions” because the Private For Hire Board of Review is “dominated by taxi cab companies that could still seek to cap the number of pedicabs or eliminate them altogether,” he said.
As for Saltzman’s amendment that passed today, Hashagen had this to say: “Saltzman showed amazing leadership by listening to constituents and stakeholders and by putting forth this thoughtful amendment.”
Saltzman’s Policy Manager Matt Grumm said the Commissioner put this motion forward because he wanted to more clearly define who the stakeholders were in the pedicab community so they could be fairly represented in any policy changes. Grumm also told me that Saltzman has gained quite an education about Portland’s pedicab scene of late. “In listening to testimony and digging into this issue in the past few weeks,” he said, “he now realizes that pedicab operators don’t just do this to make a buck. They’re unique and they love being out there, being carbon-free… So seeing that, he felt they needed a separate group to look into this.”
Grumm also credited Hashagen’s activism around the issue. “He did a great job advocating for this. He met with the Commissioner and he was instrumental in how this turned out.”
Today in City Council chambers, Commissioner Dan Saltzman proposed an amendment to the City of Portland’s proposed changes to the Private For Hire code. The amendment, which passed unanimously, will create an ad-hoc committee to address the issue of how the City regulates pedicabs.
Last month, we reported that one local pedicab business owner, Ryan Hashagen of Portland Cascadia Pedicabs, was very concerned that the new code would have a negative impact on his business.
The City issued a statement refuting Hashagen’s concerns, but that didn’t stop Hashagen from swinging into action. He organized fellow pedicab owners, he rounded up pedicab operators to testify at City Hall, he did the local media circuit, and he met with Commissioner Saltzman to present his concerns.
Now it seems like Hashagen’s work has paid off.
According to Hashagen, the new committee would include representatives from pedicab companies, pedicab operators, the BTA, PBOT, the Police Bureau and the Revenue Bureau. The committee will be tasked to meet and come back to Council within 60-90 days with revisions to the current Private For-Hire code, or Hashagen says, “Maybe even an entirely new set of codes specific to pedicabs.”
The proposed Private For Hire code changes are slated for a Council vote next week. In its current form, Hashagen says that it still contains “huge contradictions” because the Private For Hire Board of Review is “dominated by taxi cab companies that could still seek to cap the number of pedicabs or eliminate them altogether,” he said.
As for Saltzman’s amendment that passed today, Hashagen had this to say: “Saltzman showed amazing leadership by listening to constituents and stakeholders and by putting forth this thoughtful amendment.”
Saltzman’s Policy Manager Matt Grumm said the Commissioner put this motion forward because he wanted to more clearly define who the stakeholders were in the pedicab community so they could be fairly represented in any policy changes. Grumm also told me that Saltzman has gained quite an education about Portland’s pedicab scene of late. “In listening to testimony and digging into this issue in the past few weeks,” he said, “he now realizes that pedicab operators don’t just do this to make a buck. They’re unique and they love being out there, being carbon-free… So seeing that, he felt they needed a separate group to look into this.”
Grumm also credited Hashagen’s activism around the issue. “He did a great job advocating for this. He met with the Commissioner and he was instrumental in how this turned out.”
Pedal Power: Petoskey Pedicab LLC
By Ryan Bentley News-Review Staff Writer
For those seeking transportation around downtown Petoskey, Josh Lycka and Calvin Schemanski have pedal power to offer.
The 2008 Petoskey High School graduates — now university sophomores — have formed Petoskey Pedicab LLC. This company will use pedicabs — large tricycles with carriage-style seating at the rear — to offer transportation and sightseeing around the business district, waterfront and nearby areas.
This weekend, Lycka and Schemanski will be offering pedicab service to and from plays at Crooked Tree Arts Center, as well as Mother’s Day rides. Starting around May 15, they plan to be available for passengers on a daily basis between mid-morning and late evening.
Two years ago, when Lycka and Schemanski were working kitchen jobs at the Bay Harbor Yacht Club, the notion of a rickshaw business randomly entered a conversation. It evolved into the concept for a pedicab company which would offer sustainable transportation with a bit of luxury.
For those seeking transportation around downtown Petoskey, Josh Lycka and Calvin Schemanski have pedal power to offer.
The 2008 Petoskey High School graduates — now university sophomores — have formed Petoskey Pedicab LLC. This company will use pedicabs — large tricycles with carriage-style seating at the rear — to offer transportation and sightseeing around the business district, waterfront and nearby areas.
This weekend, Lycka and Schemanski will be offering pedicab service to and from plays at Crooked Tree Arts Center, as well as Mother’s Day rides. Starting around May 15, they plan to be available for passengers on a daily basis between mid-morning and late evening.
Two years ago, when Lycka and Schemanski were working kitchen jobs at the Bay Harbor Yacht Club, the notion of a rickshaw business randomly entered a conversation. It evolved into the concept for a pedicab company which would offer sustainable transportation with a bit of luxury.
Pedicab pitch
Albany officials test one; will the 3-wheelers roll out for summer events?
By Cathy Ingalls
Albany Democrat-Herald
Bill Pintard of Albany’s bicycle and pedestrian advisory commission got Mayor Sharon Konopa and City Manager Wes Hare to take a spin around City Hall in a pedicab Tuesday.
“Wow! This is comfy,” the mayor said on her return. “It was fun. I liked it.”
Hare said he also enjoyed his ride.
Pintard wants to introduce pedicabs to Albany to reduce traffic and improve pedestrian safety downtown. He said pedicabs benefit the environment because they are pollution free.
Pedicabs, three-wheeled bicycles that are pedaled by a person in front while one or two people sit behind, are common in larger cities. A good one costs about $4,000, Pintard said.
Pintard asked Dan Crall, owner of Corvallis Pedicab, to pedal several city officials around downtown on Tuesday to acquaint them with the vehicle. Now he will see if the idea catches on in Albany, particularly during summer events.
Crall, 28, started his business in late March with a pedicab he purchased for $2,000. He said he put another $1,500 worth of improvements into his vehicle, including a top.
Crall is available for tours, offers taxi and chauffeur services and transportation to and from events. He plans to learn more about the history of Corvallis and the Oregon State University campus so he can take visitors around those areas.
Crall, a former announcer and producer for Oregon Public Broadcasting in Corvallis, got the idea for his business after the radio operation shut down in Corvallis and he saw a pedicab at about the same time.
“I was offered a job with OPB in Portland,” he said. “I could either move there or commute, but I wanted to find something that would keep me in Corvallis.”
It takes strength and endurance and a good diet to be in good enough shape to operate a pedicab, he said.
“I’ve ridden a bike regularly for four years, but I’m not at 100 percent yet, but I soon will be,” Crall said.
Crall carries liability insurance and works on a donation-only basis.
He can be reached at (541) 609-8949 or at corvallis
By Cathy Ingalls
Albany Democrat-Herald
Bill Pintard of Albany’s bicycle and pedestrian advisory commission got Mayor Sharon Konopa and City Manager Wes Hare to take a spin around City Hall in a pedicab Tuesday.
“Wow! This is comfy,” the mayor said on her return. “It was fun. I liked it.”
Hare said he also enjoyed his ride.
Pintard wants to introduce pedicabs to Albany to reduce traffic and improve pedestrian safety downtown. He said pedicabs benefit the environment because they are pollution free.
Pedicabs, three-wheeled bicycles that are pedaled by a person in front while one or two people sit behind, are common in larger cities. A good one costs about $4,000, Pintard said.
Pintard asked Dan Crall, owner of Corvallis Pedicab, to pedal several city officials around downtown on Tuesday to acquaint them with the vehicle. Now he will see if the idea catches on in Albany, particularly during summer events.
Crall, 28, started his business in late March with a pedicab he purchased for $2,000. He said he put another $1,500 worth of improvements into his vehicle, including a top.
Crall is available for tours, offers taxi and chauffeur services and transportation to and from events. He plans to learn more about the history of Corvallis and the Oregon State University campus so he can take visitors around those areas.
Crall, a former announcer and producer for Oregon Public Broadcasting in Corvallis, got the idea for his business after the radio operation shut down in Corvallis and he saw a pedicab at about the same time.
“I was offered a job with OPB in Portland,” he said. “I could either move there or commute, but I wanted to find something that would keep me in Corvallis.”
It takes strength and endurance and a good diet to be in good enough shape to operate a pedicab, he said.
“I’ve ridden a bike regularly for four years, but I’m not at 100 percent yet, but I soon will be,” Crall said.
Crall carries liability insurance and works on a donation-only basis.
He can be reached at (541) 609-8949 or at corvallis
Want to Keep Your Job? Stop Trying to Fit In
By Peter Bregman
I was running along the six-mile loop in Central Park on a cold winter day when I passed the southern most end of the park where I noticed a large number of miserable looking pedicab drivers huddled together to keep warm. Periodically one reached out to a passing pedestrian, but no one seemed to want a ride in a bicycle-drawn carriage. It was too cold.
And then, to my surprise, a little further along the run I saw a pedicab — with passengers in it — circling the park. The reason this pedicab had been hired instead of the others was immediately obvious. On both sides of his small carriage hung signs with large letters that read "HEATED SEATS."
In any highly competitive field — and these days every field is highly competitive — being different is the only way to win. Nobody wants to sell a commodity and nobody wants to be a commodity.
Yet, even though we all know that, most of us spend a tremendous amount of effort trying not to be different. We model ourselves and our businesses after other successful people and businesses, spending considerable money and energy discovering and replicating best practices, looking for that one recipe for success.
Here's the thing: if you look like other people, if your business looks like other businesses, then all you've done is increase your pool of competition.
I was working with American Express in 1993 when Harvey Golub became the new CEO. He wore suspenders. Within a few weeks so did everyone else. In our corporate cultures, we school, like fish. We try especially hard to fit in when we worry about getting laid off. Maybe, we think, standing out will remind them that we're here and then they'll lay us off too.
But fitting in has the opposite effect. It makes you dispensable. If you're like everyone else, then how critical to the business can you be?
That's how my friend Paul Faerstein lost his job. He was very successful at fitting in. It was the early 1990s and he was a partner at the Hay Group. He was a good consultant — I learned a lot from him — and for a long time he acted like the other partners. He sold the projects they sold. Billed the hours they billed.
Then, in a year and a half, Paul's mother died, his brother died, and he got divorced. He couldn't keep up his sales or his billable hours. And here's the important part: he didn't bring anything unique to the table beyond those things. It wasn't that he couldn't, as we'll see in a moment. But he didn't. So he lost his job.
Trying to distinguish ourselves by being the same as others, only better, is hard to do and even harder to sustain. There are too many smart, hard working people out there all trying to excel by being the best at what everyone else is doing.
It's simply easier to be unique.
Entertainment is a great example. In a field with a tremendous number of beautiful, sexy, talented people, what are the chances that you'll be noticed by being even more beautiful, sexy, and talented? But, Susan Boyle was different. She broke the mold. Which is why her YouTube videos received over 100 million hits. If she looked like every other aspiring singer, would the world have noticed?
If you're 60, don't get a facelift and pretend to be 30. Embrace 60 and use it to your advantage. According to a tremendous body of research, talent is not inborn, it's created by practice. Which gives a 60 year old a tremendous advantage over a 30 year old.
But even in our diversity-focused corporations, it's hard to be different because we have cultural norms that encourage sameness. That's why we have dress codes. And expressions like "don't rock the boat." My advice? Rock on.
That's what Paul eventually did. After he lost his job, Paul realized that he was never fully himself as a partner in the Hay Group. He had more to offer. He wanted to connect more deeply with his clients, help them achieve things outside the scope of the Hay Group's offerings, and engage with them on issues beyond the bottom line.
Picture-of-Parameshwara-at-the-Lodge.jpgNow, his name is Paramacharya Swami Parameshwarananda (you can call him Swamiji for short). He is the resident spiritual master at an ashram in Colorado. His change might seem drastic. But it was easy for him because each step he took was a step toward himself. And now he couldn't be happier or more effective. He serves on various boards and leadership councils and is a driving force behind several educational and humanitarian projects around the world.
He's still doing many of the same things he did as a failed consultant in New Jersey, but he's more successful because he feels and acts like himself. In his words, "I'm living my inner truth." And he is indispensable. Not simply for what he does, but for who he is.
Now, I'm not suggesting you go live on an ashram in Colorado. For most people that would be absurd. And copying someone else who's different won't help. You'll never be as good a version of someone else as you are of yourself.
How can you move closer to contributing your unique value? What are your "heated seats"? Can you be more effective by being more yourself?
Face it: you're different. And the sooner you realize it, the sooner you embrace and leverage it, the more successful you'll be. The same goes for your business.
That's why one pedicab driver with heated seats can stay busy all day while the others huddle around each other, fareless, trying to stay warm.
I was running along the six-mile loop in Central Park on a cold winter day when I passed the southern most end of the park where I noticed a large number of miserable looking pedicab drivers huddled together to keep warm. Periodically one reached out to a passing pedestrian, but no one seemed to want a ride in a bicycle-drawn carriage. It was too cold.
And then, to my surprise, a little further along the run I saw a pedicab — with passengers in it — circling the park. The reason this pedicab had been hired instead of the others was immediately obvious. On both sides of his small carriage hung signs with large letters that read "HEATED SEATS."
In any highly competitive field — and these days every field is highly competitive — being different is the only way to win. Nobody wants to sell a commodity and nobody wants to be a commodity.
Yet, even though we all know that, most of us spend a tremendous amount of effort trying not to be different. We model ourselves and our businesses after other successful people and businesses, spending considerable money and energy discovering and replicating best practices, looking for that one recipe for success.
Here's the thing: if you look like other people, if your business looks like other businesses, then all you've done is increase your pool of competition.
I was working with American Express in 1993 when Harvey Golub became the new CEO. He wore suspenders. Within a few weeks so did everyone else. In our corporate cultures, we school, like fish. We try especially hard to fit in when we worry about getting laid off. Maybe, we think, standing out will remind them that we're here and then they'll lay us off too.
But fitting in has the opposite effect. It makes you dispensable. If you're like everyone else, then how critical to the business can you be?
That's how my friend Paul Faerstein lost his job. He was very successful at fitting in. It was the early 1990s and he was a partner at the Hay Group. He was a good consultant — I learned a lot from him — and for a long time he acted like the other partners. He sold the projects they sold. Billed the hours they billed.
Then, in a year and a half, Paul's mother died, his brother died, and he got divorced. He couldn't keep up his sales or his billable hours. And here's the important part: he didn't bring anything unique to the table beyond those things. It wasn't that he couldn't, as we'll see in a moment. But he didn't. So he lost his job.
Trying to distinguish ourselves by being the same as others, only better, is hard to do and even harder to sustain. There are too many smart, hard working people out there all trying to excel by being the best at what everyone else is doing.
It's simply easier to be unique.
Entertainment is a great example. In a field with a tremendous number of beautiful, sexy, talented people, what are the chances that you'll be noticed by being even more beautiful, sexy, and talented? But, Susan Boyle was different. She broke the mold. Which is why her YouTube videos received over 100 million hits. If she looked like every other aspiring singer, would the world have noticed?
If you're 60, don't get a facelift and pretend to be 30. Embrace 60 and use it to your advantage. According to a tremendous body of research, talent is not inborn, it's created by practice. Which gives a 60 year old a tremendous advantage over a 30 year old.
But even in our diversity-focused corporations, it's hard to be different because we have cultural norms that encourage sameness. That's why we have dress codes. And expressions like "don't rock the boat." My advice? Rock on.
That's what Paul eventually did. After he lost his job, Paul realized that he was never fully himself as a partner in the Hay Group. He had more to offer. He wanted to connect more deeply with his clients, help them achieve things outside the scope of the Hay Group's offerings, and engage with them on issues beyond the bottom line.
Picture-of-Parameshwara-at-the-Lodge.jpgNow, his name is Paramacharya Swami Parameshwarananda (you can call him Swamiji for short). He is the resident spiritual master at an ashram in Colorado. His change might seem drastic. But it was easy for him because each step he took was a step toward himself. And now he couldn't be happier or more effective. He serves on various boards and leadership councils and is a driving force behind several educational and humanitarian projects around the world.
He's still doing many of the same things he did as a failed consultant in New Jersey, but he's more successful because he feels and acts like himself. In his words, "I'm living my inner truth." And he is indispensable. Not simply for what he does, but for who he is.
Now, I'm not suggesting you go live on an ashram in Colorado. For most people that would be absurd. And copying someone else who's different won't help. You'll never be as good a version of someone else as you are of yourself.
How can you move closer to contributing your unique value? What are your "heated seats"? Can you be more effective by being more yourself?
Face it: you're different. And the sooner you realize it, the sooner you embrace and leverage it, the more successful you'll be. The same goes for your business.
That's why one pedicab driver with heated seats can stay busy all day while the others huddle around each other, fareless, trying to stay warm.
Midtown Cyclists Routinely Break Law, Study Finds
From New York Times
An expanded study of bicycle behavior in Midtown Manhattan has found that “a large number of cyclists routinely disobey many traffic laws.” Thirty-seven percent rode through red lights, while 28.7 percent paused to look — then ran the light. More than 10 percent rode against traffic, and fully two-thirds were riding without a helmet, a requirement for delivery workers and children under 14.
Those were some of the less-than-stellar observations made in the research study [text, pdf] by Peter S. Tuckel, professor of sociology, and William Milczarski, professor of urban planning, both at Hunter College.
The study, based on 5,275 observations by Hunter college students of riders at 45 randomly generated intersections across Midtown from First to 10th Avenues and 14th to 59th Streets, was a rigorous and scientific version of a survey the professors conducted in November 2008. The 2008 survey saw similar bad cycling behavior, but its results could not be generalized to all riders in central Manhattan, because it was based on a “convenience sample,” the researchers said.
How bad bike behavior ought to be judged relative to bad car and pedestrian behavior is not addressed by the study, though Spokes readers have offered their own suggestions in the past and have atoned for their own bicycle sins.
The current study, based on observations at randomly generated intersections, can be broadly applied to Midtown bikers, Dr. Tuckel said in a phone interview.
“It’s an enormous sample — so we’re very confident with the results,” he said.
Yet some cycling advocates were quick to dismiss the results.
“They picked probably one of the only areas of the city that is bereft of bike lanes,” said Wiley Norvell, a spokesman for Transportation Alternatives, a transit advocacy group. According to the city’s cycling map, the area under study has about six bike lanes. Below 14th Street, there are more than a dozen.
“It makes no mention of bicycling infrastructure,” he added. “It’s like we’re talking about this in 1995 and they haven’t been paying attention for the last five years.”
A thoroughly unscientific study conducted Monday by this Spokes reporter on the corner of 40th and Broadway, where the city has recently built a protected bike lane, found that from 2:22 to 2:32 P.M., most riders used the lane (15 of the 24 observed were using it, including a huge cargo pedicab pulling a large rack with 12 more bikes).
From April 1 to 28, the students, undergraduates in the sociology department and graduate students in urban planning, recorded several variables, including: helmet use; behavior at lights; riding with traffic, on the sidewalk or in the bike lane (if available); and the use of an iPod, cellphone or other electronic device. The students also collected demographic information, including whether the riders were commercial or “general.”
However, as Mr. Norvell pointed out, the study does not specify how the students determined that a given cyclist was a commercial rider if there was no visible commercial insignia. It is therefore difficult to say how many of those riders were accurately tallied, and also whether in fact only 23.6 percent of delivery riders complied with the city law requiring helmets for delivery cyclists.
“That’s troubling, because there’s a different set of laws that apply to commerical cycling than to the general public,” Mr. Norvell said. “In the methodology, it does not state how they’re making that distinction.”
“I think that’s a major failure,” he added.
Among the riders observed in the study, 49.8 percent were general and 44.4 percent were commercial or “delivery riders.” (For about 5 percent of cyclists, the student observers were unable to determine whether the riders were commercial or general.)
Ninety-one percent of all riders in the study — and 99 percent of commercial riders — were male, though those few women who were observed by students were found to be more law-abiding, Dr. Tuckel said.
Few riders were seen holding mobile phones, but about 10 percent had some sort of electronic device like a hands-free phone or an iPod, the study said.
Lest the bike-friendly be inclined to accuse the Hunter College professors of partisanship in favor of bipeds or the four-wheeled, Dr. Tuckel assures that the study was done with general public safety in mind.
“I’m not interested in apportioning blame” among riders, drivers and pedestrians, he said. “Motorists could learn more about orienting themselves to the presence of cyclists.”
“The only agenda we have is to promote public safety,” he added. In the past, Dr. Tuckel’s students have also studied distracted drivers.
In their conclusion, the professors recommend greater enforcement of existing traffic laws and float the idea that commercial bikes be required to have license plates. (They add in a footnote that the license plate idea came from Bunny Abraham, an Upper West Sider who traded letters last fall with Transportation Alternatives in a community newspaper over bike behavior.)
The release of the Hunter College study coincides with bike month and with the unveiling of Transportation Alternatives’ new Street Code for the city’s bikers, a “major civic cycling education campaign” with the goal of establishing a pecking order, with pedestrians on top, followed by cyclists, followed by motor vehicles. On May 15, bike to work day, the group handed out 5,000 copies of the code at East River crossings and at City Hall.
“This is the kind of thing that we think is a productive and concerted way to improve bicycling behavior on New York City streets,” Mr. Norvell said.
The No. 1 rule of the new code: always yield to pedestrians.
An expanded study of bicycle behavior in Midtown Manhattan has found that “a large number of cyclists routinely disobey many traffic laws.” Thirty-seven percent rode through red lights, while 28.7 percent paused to look — then ran the light. More than 10 percent rode against traffic, and fully two-thirds were riding without a helmet, a requirement for delivery workers and children under 14.
Those were some of the less-than-stellar observations made in the research study [text, pdf] by Peter S. Tuckel, professor of sociology, and William Milczarski, professor of urban planning, both at Hunter College.
The study, based on 5,275 observations by Hunter college students of riders at 45 randomly generated intersections across Midtown from First to 10th Avenues and 14th to 59th Streets, was a rigorous and scientific version of a survey the professors conducted in November 2008. The 2008 survey saw similar bad cycling behavior, but its results could not be generalized to all riders in central Manhattan, because it was based on a “convenience sample,” the researchers said.
How bad bike behavior ought to be judged relative to bad car and pedestrian behavior is not addressed by the study, though Spokes readers have offered their own suggestions in the past and have atoned for their own bicycle sins.
The current study, based on observations at randomly generated intersections, can be broadly applied to Midtown bikers, Dr. Tuckel said in a phone interview.
“It’s an enormous sample — so we’re very confident with the results,” he said.
Yet some cycling advocates were quick to dismiss the results.
“They picked probably one of the only areas of the city that is bereft of bike lanes,” said Wiley Norvell, a spokesman for Transportation Alternatives, a transit advocacy group. According to the city’s cycling map, the area under study has about six bike lanes. Below 14th Street, there are more than a dozen.
“It makes no mention of bicycling infrastructure,” he added. “It’s like we’re talking about this in 1995 and they haven’t been paying attention for the last five years.”
A thoroughly unscientific study conducted Monday by this Spokes reporter on the corner of 40th and Broadway, where the city has recently built a protected bike lane, found that from 2:22 to 2:32 P.M., most riders used the lane (15 of the 24 observed were using it, including a huge cargo pedicab pulling a large rack with 12 more bikes).
From April 1 to 28, the students, undergraduates in the sociology department and graduate students in urban planning, recorded several variables, including: helmet use; behavior at lights; riding with traffic, on the sidewalk or in the bike lane (if available); and the use of an iPod, cellphone or other electronic device. The students also collected demographic information, including whether the riders were commercial or “general.”
However, as Mr. Norvell pointed out, the study does not specify how the students determined that a given cyclist was a commercial rider if there was no visible commercial insignia. It is therefore difficult to say how many of those riders were accurately tallied, and also whether in fact only 23.6 percent of delivery riders complied with the city law requiring helmets for delivery cyclists.
“That’s troubling, because there’s a different set of laws that apply to commerical cycling than to the general public,” Mr. Norvell said. “In the methodology, it does not state how they’re making that distinction.”
“I think that’s a major failure,” he added.
Among the riders observed in the study, 49.8 percent were general and 44.4 percent were commercial or “delivery riders.” (For about 5 percent of cyclists, the student observers were unable to determine whether the riders were commercial or general.)
Ninety-one percent of all riders in the study — and 99 percent of commercial riders — were male, though those few women who were observed by students were found to be more law-abiding, Dr. Tuckel said.
Few riders were seen holding mobile phones, but about 10 percent had some sort of electronic device like a hands-free phone or an iPod, the study said.
Lest the bike-friendly be inclined to accuse the Hunter College professors of partisanship in favor of bipeds or the four-wheeled, Dr. Tuckel assures that the study was done with general public safety in mind.
“I’m not interested in apportioning blame” among riders, drivers and pedestrians, he said. “Motorists could learn more about orienting themselves to the presence of cyclists.”
“The only agenda we have is to promote public safety,” he added. In the past, Dr. Tuckel’s students have also studied distracted drivers.
In their conclusion, the professors recommend greater enforcement of existing traffic laws and float the idea that commercial bikes be required to have license plates. (They add in a footnote that the license plate idea came from Bunny Abraham, an Upper West Sider who traded letters last fall with Transportation Alternatives in a community newspaper over bike behavior.)
The release of the Hunter College study coincides with bike month and with the unveiling of Transportation Alternatives’ new Street Code for the city’s bikers, a “major civic cycling education campaign” with the goal of establishing a pecking order, with pedestrians on top, followed by cyclists, followed by motor vehicles. On May 15, bike to work day, the group handed out 5,000 copies of the code at East River crossings and at City Hall.
“This is the kind of thing that we think is a productive and concerted way to improve bicycling behavior on New York City streets,” Mr. Norvell said.
The No. 1 rule of the new code: always yield to pedestrians.
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