Vehicle safety and equipment standards

(a)

Pedicabs shall not be operated within the city except in compliance with all laws of the State of Florida, Miami-Dade County, and the City of Miami.

(b)

Pedicabs shall be subject to Chapter 316, Florida Statutes, as amended.

(c)

Any law enforcement officer of the city shall have the right to inspect or cause to be inspected any pedicab operating on any street in the city as often as may be necessary for the purposes of ascertaining and causing to be corrected any unsafe or unsanitary considerations or any violations of this article.

(d)

No pedicab driver may operate a pedicab on any street unless the pedicab meets the following equipment and safety standards:

(1)

Pedicabs. Pedicabs shall not exceed 120 inches in total length, and 52 inches in total width.

(2)

Tires. Tires shall be of a size appropriate for the pedicab with no mismatched tires. There shall be no cuts to the tire or localized worn spots that expose the ply. No tire is permitted to be used when the tire has tread wear indicators that are visible.

(3)

Operational horn. The pedicab shall be equipped with a fully operational horn or bell.

(4)

Brakes. Each pedicab shall be equipped with an operational brake or brakes which enable the pedicab driver to stop the pedicab within 15 feet from a speed of ten miles per hour on dry, level, clean pavement. The brake systems shall demonstrate a reasonable total braking force when tested, using the "quick stop method".

(5)

Headlights, tail lights, mirrors, turn signals, and other requirements. Every pedicab shall be equipped with the following operational equipment set forth in the subsections below:

a.

A headlight capable of projecting a beam of white light for a distance at a minimum of 500 feet, which shall be clearly visible during darkness and which must be illuminated at all times during operation;

b.

A red tail light affixed to the rear of the passenger compartment, which shall be clearly visible during darkness from a distance of at least 600 feet to the rear of the pedicab which must be illuminated at all times during operation;

c.

A side mounted mirror affixed to the pedicab to reflect to the pedicab driver a view of the street for a distance of at least 200 feet from the rear of the pedicab;

d.

A slow moving vehicle triangle on the rear of the pedicab or reflective tape which outlines the rear of the pedicab from edge to edge;

e.

Turn signal lamps which indicators must be visible for a distance of at least 500 feet from the rear of the pedicab indicating right and left turns which must be utilized when turning.

(e)

The company or trade name, individual or fictitious name of the pedicab owner shall be conspicuously displayed on the exterior of each pedicab. This will not be considered advertising.

(f)

No more than one trailer or sidecar may be attached to any pedicab. Any such trailer or sidecar must be attached in a manner that meets the requirements of § 316.530(2), Florida Statutes, as amended.

(g)

Ample storage areas for the pedicabs shall be provided at point of departure or arrival for any given route. Rental of metered parking spaces will require a separate permit from the Miami Parking Authority.

(Ord. No. 13102, § 1, 10-8-09)