D.C. Mun. Regs. tit. 18, r. 18-1213

Current through Register Vol. 71, No. 49, December 6, 2024

Rule 18-1213 - PEDICABS

1213.1

Pedicabs shall be propelled solely by human power and shall not be equipped with a pedal assist device with an electric motor.

1213.2

Pedicabs shall be operated in accordance with the safe operation of bicycle regulations set forth in § 1201.

1213.3

Notwithstanding § 1213.2, pedicabs shall be operated only on public streets.

1213.4

Each pedicab shall meet the following safety requirements:

(a) The maximum width of the pedicab shall be fifty-five inches (55 in.);

(b) The maximum length of the pedicab shall be ten feet (10 ft.);

(c) The pedicab shall be equipped with:

(1) Passenger seat belts (either one (1) seat belt for each passenger or one (1) seat belt that covers all passengers);

(2) Hydraulic or mechanical disc or drum brakes, which shall be unaffected by rain or wet conditions;

(3) At least one (1) and no more than two (2) battery-operated head lamps which shall emit a steady or flashing white light visible from a distance of at least five hundred feet (500 ft.) from the front of the pedicab, under normal atmospheric conditions at the times that use of the head lamp is required;

(4) Battery-operated tail lamps mounted on the right and left areas of the rear of the pedicab, which, when operated, shall emit a steady or flashing red light visible from a distance of five hundred feet (500 ft.) to the rear, under normal atmospheric conditions at the times that use of the head lamp is required;

(5) Turning lights;

(6) A bell or other device capable of giving a signal audible for a distance of at least one hundred feet (100 ft.); and

(7) Reflectors on the spokes of the wheels of the pedicab.

(d) Reflective tape shall be affixed on the pedicab in accordance with the following requirements:

(1) The tape shall be at least two inches (2 in.) wide;

(2) The tape shall be at least twelve inches (12 in.) long; and

(3) There shall be at least one (1) piece of tape on each side of the pedicab.

(e) A triangular shaped slow-moving vehicle (SMV) emblem conforming to the American National Standards Institute standard S276.7, shall be permanently affixed to the rear of the pedicab as follows:

(1) With one (1) point up;

(2) As close to the horizontal center of the pedicab as possible; and

(3) No less than two feet (2 ft.) and no more than six feet (6 ft.) above the roadway surface as measured from the lower edge of the emblem.

1213.5

Each pedicab shall be operated in accordance with the following provisions:

(a) All passengers shall be seated within the confines of the pedicab passenger seating area while the pedicab is in motion;

(b) All passengers shall have a seatbelt securely fastened while the pedicab is in motion. There shall be affixed to the pedicab a sign stating that all passengers shall have a seatbelt securely fastened while the pedicab is in motion, and the sign shall be clearly visible to passengers;

(c) A pedicab shall not be operated on a roadway with a posted speed limit of more than thirty miles per hour (30 m.p.h.);

(d) A pedicab may not be operated or parked on a sidewalk;

(e) Pedicab passengers shall be loaded and off-loaded while the pedicab is stopped;

(f) No pedicab operator shall stop to load or unload passengers on the traffic- facing side of the pedicab, while occupying any intersection or crosswalk, or in such a manner as to unduly interfere with the orderly flow of traffic. All pedicab operators shall pull as close to the curb or edge of the roadway as possible to take on or discharge passengers;

(g) A pedicab shall not be parked and left unattended in a restricted zone identified for other vehicles, including, but not limited to, parking meter zones, residential permit parking zones, valet parking zones, bus zones, taxicab zones;

(h) A pedicab shall not be tied, cabled, or otherwise attached to a parking meter, street light pole, tree, or other public space asset;

(i) At any time from one half (1/2) hour after sunset to one-half (1/2) hour before sunrise, and at any other time when, due to insufficient light or unfavorable atmospheric conditions, persons and vehicles on the highway are not clearly discernible at a distance of five hundred feet (500 ft.) ahead, a pedicab shall be operated as follows:

(1) With a headlamp capable of being seen from a distance of at least five hundred feet (500 ft.); and

(2) With tail lamps capable of being seen from a distance of five hundred feet (500 ft.);

(j) When operating a pedicab upon a roadway at less than the normal speed of traffic, a person shall travel in the right-most travel lane.

(k) Notwithstanding paragraph (j) of this subsection, a pedicab may be operated in a travel lane other than the rightmost travel lane when:

(1) Operating in a lane designated for bicycles;

(2) Preparing to access a lane designated for bicycles;

(3) Preparing for a turn;

(4) Encountering road hazards or stopped or parked vehicles;

(5) Necessary to comply with lane use restrictions;

(6) Necessary for passenger safety;

(7) Directed to do so by a police officer or other law enforcement or public safety official or by a traffic control officer; or

(8) Operating on a one (1)-way street and traveling in the direction of traffic in the left-most travel lane.

1213.6

No one shall operate or be in control of a pedicab while the person's alcohol concentration is eight hundredths of a gram (0.08 g) or more either per one hundred milliliters (100 ml) of blood or per two hundred and ten liters (210 L) of breath or one tenth of a gram (0.10 g) or more per one hundred milliliters (100 ml) of urine, or while under the influence of intoxicating liquor or any drug or any combination thereof, or while the ability to operate a vehicle is impaired by the consumption of intoxicating liquor.

D.C. Mun. Regs. tit. 18, r. 18-1213

Source: Notice of Final Rulemaking published at 58 DCR 6424 (July 29, 2011); as amended by Notice of Emergency and Final Rulemaking published at 58 DCR 6685 (August 5, 2011)[EXPIRED]; as amended by Notice of Final Rulemaking published at 58 DCR 11113 (December 23, 2011); amended by Final Rulemaking published at 62 DCR 11568 (8/21/2015)

Authority: The Director of the District Department of Transportation (DDOT), pursuant to the authority in sections 3(b) and 6(b) of the Department of Transportation Establishment Act of 2002 (DDOT Establishment Act), effective May 21 , 2002 (D.C. Law 14-137; D.C. Official Code § 50-921.02(b), and § 50-921.05(b) (2009 Repl.) (transferring the traffic management function previously delegated to the Department of Public Works under section III (H) of Reorganization Plan No. 4 of 1983), and D.C. Official Code § 50-921.05(b) and (c)) , and section 6(a)(1), 6(a)(6) , and 6(b) of the District of Columbia Traffic Act, approved March 3, 1925 (43 Stat. 1121; D.C. Official Code § 50-2201.03(a)(1), (a)(6), and (b) (2009 Repl.)) which was delegated to the Director of DPW pursuant to Mayor's Order 96-175, dated December 9, 1996, and subsequently transferred to the Director of the Department in section 7 of the DDOT Establishment Act (transferring to the Director of the Department all transportation-related authority previously delegated to the Director of the Department of Public Works) (D.C. Official Code § 50-921.06 (2009 Repl.)).