If you're planning to haul a stripper in your Minneapolis pedicab to advertise a business -- a practice witnessed by a council member in another city -- that stripper will need to bump and grind without amplified music.
Pedicab drivers will also have to keep their clothes on.
The loud music ban is part of a package of pedicab regulations that won City Council approval Friday and that specify right down to what pedicab drivers must wear on their feet -- secure footwear. Shirts are required. Ditto for pants or shorts.
Drivers can't light up or drink while driving, nor may their passengers consume booze.
Those are among requirements of a revamped ordinance that tries to make pedicabs safer but also gives them new freedom to operate in the greater downtown area during rush hours. The city has eight licensed pedicab companies with 40 licensed pedicabs. Cabs cost $96 annually to license and drivers now will be required to have a $59 individual license.
Pedicab owners will be required to obtain $1 million per cab in liability insurance, more than three times the current $300,000.
They'll need to demonstrate that they can stop in 15 feet at 10 miles per hour. They'll need annual checks for safety equipment such as lights and brakes. Drivers will need to be at least 18, not have too many recent moving violations, and no careless or reckless driving convictions within the past three years.
In exchange for these and other restrictions sponsored by Council Member Gary Schiff, the City Council also lifted operating hour limits for pedicabs, so they can now stay on the roads during morning and afternoon rush hours.
