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