San Diego: Tourist’s death may prompt pedicab regulations
Following the fatal head injury of a tourist in San Diego over the weekend, a pedicab driver has been arrested and city officials are being called on to “step up” oversight over the three-wheeled taxi services popular with vacationers and day-trippers.
The tourist, Sharon Miller, a 60-year-old Illinois resident and retired teacher, was attending a convention in San Diego. She reportedly hit her head on the ground after falling out of a moving pedicab on Martin Luther King Promenade — a no-go zone for pedicabs and bicycles — in the downtown area.
The pedicab operator was Sukru Safa Cinar, 23, a resident of Turkey who is in the U.S. on a work visa, according to the Associated Press. Cinar was allegedly “weaving in an area marked for pedestrians” when Miller fell out of his vehicle on Saturday night. Witnesses claimed that he was driving in an “S pattern,” as reported in The Times’ L.A. Now blog. The vehicle also reportedly did not have seat belts, which are required of pedicabs in the city.
It was no surprise then that on Tuesday, four San Diego City Council members made the case for stricter oversight of pedicabs, according to a San Diego Union-Tribune article, in a city that sees over 400 of the pedal-powered vehicles in the summer months throughout areas popular with visitors.
The council members’ draft regulations, not yet approved, include banning the pedicabs from sidewalks and from streets with speed limits greater than 25 miles per hour; requiring drivers to carry proof of insurance and to clearly display fare rates on each vehicle; and limiting the number of pedicabs allowed to operate in high-traffic areas of Petco Park, Balboa Park, downtown, Ocean Beach, La Jolla, Pacific Beach and Mission Beach, according to the Union-Tribune report.
— Susan Derby, Special to the Los Angeles Times
[Photo: Amie Mitchell of Huntington Beach and her son, Johnny, 6, ride in a pedicab driven by Murak Gokkur on Harbor Drive in San Diego on July 7. Credit: Laura Embry/San Diego Union-Tribune, copyright 2009]
15 Comments on “San Diego: Tourist’s death may prompt pedicab regulations”
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July 8th, 2009 at 3:22 pm
It’s a shame it took a death for the city to notice this oversite of regulatory responsibility.
July 8th, 2009 at 3:37 pm
i feel bad for the pedicab driver - they all do that - all the time… it’s too bad, and unfortunate situation.
July 8th, 2009 at 9:47 pm
I was attending the same convention as the individual that was fatally injured. If it is known that these pedicabs are unregulated and dangerous, why have they been allowed to continue operation? San Diego was great, but overrun by constant begging of pedicab drivers at every corner.
San Diego….DO SOMETHING!!!! Don’t let this tragedy repeat.
July 8th, 2009 at 10:13 pm
@ V Price: “It’s a shame it took a death for the city to notice this oversite of regulatory responsibility.”
Of course, if they had regulated things before something like this happened, “conservatives” would have complained about TOO MUCH government meddling and regulation.
July 8th, 2009 at 11:08 pm
As this story has hit the national news, many people outside of the City get the impression that there are no regulations governing pedicab operations in San Diego, this couldn’t be further from the truth. San Diego actually has a decent set of pedicab regulations on the books - they are often used as a model for other communities as they develop their ordinances.
In the almost 5 years that I have been in business I have seen that, even though the change process is slow, the ordinances are constantly under review. There are currently amendments to the ordinances (in council as we speak) amendments that address not only the number of pedicabs authorized in the high traffic areas of the city, but deal with safety, insurance and rules-of-the-road issues. By and large, all very positive changes for an industry that has failed miserably to self regulate. Bottom line though, no matter how good the regulations are, they are worthless without enforcement.
The police department’s investigation into this avoidable fatality will no doubt uncover several contributing factors. Until all the FACTS are known, one can only speculate as to the events that led up to the accident. Clearly the driver was operating in an area that is plainly posted for pedestrian use only, from eye witness accounts he was driving “erratically” weaving in and out of the pedestrian traffic and the pedicab was not equipped with safety belts as it should have been.
The City Council will likely make passing the new pedicab amendments a priority in the wake of this tragic event. In the main, the regulations are a very positive step forward, and hopefully there will be appropriate time for public comment and discussion about all aspects of the proposed changes.
The Council should be wary about touting themselves as the hero of the day by jumping onto these amendments now - after all, these amendments were written last year (the SDPD held meetings with the stake holders last summer to introduce the proposed changes) These amendments should have gone to council last summer/fall - however, they weren’t deemed important enough in an election year. You can play “What If” all day long, consider what if these amendments made it through council last year and were implemented in January of 2009 as the original plan was? The pedicab scene in downtown San Diego would look totally different today, and who knows - maybe this recent tragedy would have never happened. I suppose there is a good political “reason” to explain why it’s taken a year and one senseless death for the proposed amendments to garner City wide attention.
For the record: I’m for the amendments, I was in 2005, I was in 2007 and I am in 2009. I think they will be good for my industry. I do feel there is one element of the proposed regulation that needs to be removed or modified and I have presented my position during the public comment phase at the last PSNS Committee meeting when the amendments were proposed. I will provide my input again when these amendments meet the full Council in hopes that rational discussion will ensue. I can only hope.
Dale Hill, Owner
Pops’ Pedicabs
July 9th, 2009 at 12:03 am
Susan, are you kidding me? Your first thought is that you feel sorry for the pedicab driver who was weaving erratically in an area that is clearly marked off-limits? Think about my great aunt, who I will have to see at her daughter’s funeral in a few days. She is 82, and was devastated by the loss of her husband a few years ago. Sharon was everything to her.
July 9th, 2009 at 7:55 am
And just two nights after this tragedy, my two friends and I were accosted by another pedicab driver. After telling him we didn’t want a ride, he responded, “What’s wrong? I’m not going to kill you.” San Diego - sent them home and let your hometown kids who want to work and know the city have the jobs.
July 9th, 2009 at 9:44 am
I was at the same educator convention. Thousands of educators raised money for the family. What’s left after expenses will go to a scholarship fund in her name to a college in Ill. Not all of her family members made it to San Diego before she died. One educator from NC rode in a pedicab a few days earlier. They were driving so badly she told them to stop and let her out. Nobody informed us that they were mandated to have seatbelts.
July 9th, 2009 at 11:48 am
If passengers want seatbelts, the cab operators will install them. They want the fares, so they will do what’s needed to be the cab that gets chosen. If you want the belts, wait for a cab that has them. If not, hold on. Protect yourself from injury, don’t rely on “big brother” to do it for you. Freedom of choice. It’s what this country was built on.
July 9th, 2009 at 12:52 pm
“And just two nights after this tragedy, my two friends and I were accosted by another pedicab driver. After telling him we didn’t want a ride, he responded, “What’s wrong? I’m not going to kill you.” San Diego - sent them home and let your hometown kids who want to work and know the city have the jobs.”
Hello nh:
I agree that person who said this is awful. You should have dial 911 and report this to revoke that person’s license for pedicab. But at the same time you can’t generalize to everyone providing the service by saying “San Diego - sent them home and let your hometown kids who want to work and know the city have the jobs”. I believe San Diego is giving equal opportunity to everyone who is willing to work. When San Diego doesn’t find the proper people to run that service, probably these people are working. I wouldn’t agree with your statment.
July 10th, 2009 at 11:58 am
We were at the same convention and were absolutely appalled by the constant harrassment from these “pedicab” drivers. San Diego is a beautiful city but that and the death of Sharon will be what I remember the most. You could not walk down the streets without keeping your head down because instead of enjoying the city you were constantly having to say “no thanks” to these drivers. To Susan E. - The driver was not worried about the safety of his passenger so I am having a hard time understanding where your compassion from him is coming from. A person died for god’s sake! To Hans - Your comment is so unintelligent that I absolutely speechless. You evidently have little common sense. You both are good examples of what is wrong in this country. To Sharon’s family - I cannot express how saddened I was when my husband came from the conference to tell me that she had passed. God Bless you all.
July 12th, 2009 at 6:48 pm
I attended this convention as well and enjoyed San Diego very much! The only “bad” memory I will have is the death of Sharon, who was a fellow educator and delegate. Many of the pedicab drivers were obnoxious and rude. They made derogatory comments to friends of mine and would not take no for an answer. (not all pedicab drivers were this way, but many were) I will never take a ride from a pedicab driver after my experience this past July. I felt this way even before Sharon’s death due to the obnoxious behavior I observed. The drivers need to have a “visible” ID tag and /or pedicab number so we can file complaints (as well as compliments) quickly and easily if we feel the need to do so. It’s too bad this tragedy had to happen. To the family of Sharon, my heart goes out to you, to the pedicab company’s, make sure your pedicab drivers are polite and courteous to ALL potential customers…being rude is NOT the way to attract business.
July 15th, 2009 at 4:29 pm
Pedicabs are a wonderful thought, but they must be SAFE and there must be rules in place to protect not only the pedicab drivers and passengers, but also the motorists of this city! Tourist trust that the city has rules in place to protect them! If you agree and are concerned about this huge oversight, please write a letter to the 8 city counsel members! There will be a vote very soon regarding enforcing the current rules that have been overlooked (ex: all pedicabs must have seatbelts and bright lights, none currently do)and creating more rules regarding where pedicabs can roam!If you drive a car in this city, this issue concerns you!!!! Currently, if a pedicab pulls in front of you on any road, in any lane, no matter what the speed limit, it’s your fault as the motorist! Lets support this ordinance and make it safer for ALL!!!!
Please write to:
Sherri Lightner, City counsel member
Kevin Faulconer, ”
Todd Gloria,”
Tony Young,”
Carl DeMaio,”
Donna Frye,”
Marti Emerald,”
Ben Hueso,”
Address for all: 202 C St. MS#10A
San Diego, CA 92101
September 24th, 2009 at 9:52 am
Im a San Diego downtown resident and some of these people make it sound like San Diego is infested with pedicabs which is NOT the case. You people are exagerating!! I do feel sorry for the driver involved in the fatality. He is only 23 years old. Obviously these kids come from other countries to be drivers as a summer job because locals dont want to do it.
November 13th, 2009 at 8:07 am
So whatever happened re these so called regulations. A pedicab hit my car in San Diego and neither the operatr nor the pedicab company will address paying for the damage. These people are leeches and do not deserve to operate if they cannot be responsible or held accountable.