Thursday was the first day of a ban on electric pedicabs and other motorized mobility devices, or MMD’s, along San Diego's bayfront.
A spokesperson from the Port of San Diego Commission said the change was due to so many complaints from businesses and visitors.
“I did have a moment when I was trying to get through a spot and the pedicab was taking up the best lane. I tried to get him to move over a bit but of course, he was on his role,” roller skater Kel McBride said.
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The new code includes just about everything electronic: scooters, skateboards, bikes and perhaps highest on the list, electric pedicabs.
“A bicycle seems fine to me, but motorized bikes as well as the scooters and stuff tend to go a little too fast,“ McBride said.
A spokesperson for the Port Commission said the group has had numerous complaints about MMD’s.
They go too fast, the music is too loud and the price at the end isn’t often what was negotiated before getting on are among the chief complaints.
“Yeah, they are kind of pricey sometimes. That’s true,” cyclist Joshua German said.
German bikes the bayfront every other day. He doesn’t call the pedicabs a nuisance but they are a risk.
“You will definitely be safer because it’s less potential to get hit,” German said of the new rules.
The new Port District code prohibits, among other things, loud music, MMD operators under 18 without a helmet and MMD operators under 16. Pedicabs must display a Port-issued placard and decals as well as post rates in and outside the cabs.
Maps published by the commission show where pedicabs and other MMD’s are prohibited. They include the embarcadero, B Street and Broadway piers and much of the bayfront walking paths in Seaport Village.
Pedicab drivers have plenty to say about how it might impact their business. They ask how they can pick fares if they're not allowed to be among the people? How can they pick up fares if they are in constant motion on the street? Others using electric-powered vehicles say it's counterproductive, in a city that discourages gas-powered vehicles, to have such prohibitions.
“It’s a good idea,“ electric scooter rider Lajid Saeedi said.
Saeedi uses an e-scooter to get to lunch faster when he is working. he said he's willing to sacrifice convenience for safety.
“If it is not allowed, we will walk. No problem. It would be best,“ Saeedi said.
Enforcement of the Port’s new rules are complaint-driven. Violators could face civil penalties up to $5,000. The stiffer penalties are for repeat offenders and blatant misconduct.
Motorized wheel chairs and peddle cabs are exceptions to the code.
The Port will designate pedicab pick-up and drop-off areas.
