Emergency workers extricated a woman from the carriage of a pedicab inside Central Park around 96th street on Sunday, although it wasn’t clear what caused the vehicle to flip. Our tipster sent in the photos above and below this morning around 11 a.m. and said she came upon the female passenger lying upside down, but the tipster wasn’t sure what had happened.
“The woman was still upside down in the pedicab and in a neck brace being attended to by EMS. I didn’t see anyone in the back of the ambulance, so I am not sure if anyone else was injured. The police were speaking to another woman, but she was fine. The speed in the area is really disconcerting–I walk my dog near there all the time–and the park really needs to find a solution. There are too many accidents, too much congestion with bicycles, runners, skates etc. Throwing pedicabs into the mix is crazy!!”
NYPD and FDNY spokespeople did not have any immediate information about the incident. We’ll update if we hear more.
The wheel of the overturned pedicab is visible in the background.
Sorry for the woman who’s fare was $ 68 for the two block ride..
I passed by this soon after it happened (there were no emergency vehicles at the time).
It looked like it was coming off the bridle path. What was a pedicab doing so far north? They’re not supposed to go north of 72nd Street.
I had no idea there were restrictions on pedicabs. They’re always up in the 80’s. What determines their boundaries?
That pedicab driver should have been stopped and frisked, thus preventing this tragedy. Thanks DeBlasio…
Well…if she was a typical tourist from one of the “fly-over states” (ESPECIALLY Mississippi) it might have been a case of weight & balance.
She might have leaned too far to one side, and, considering how skinny the typical Pedicab guy is, it could have proven too much for the tricycle-configuration!
Doubtful? Walk around Columbus Circle / Central Park South and check out some of the tourists who obviously do not own a full-length mirror and who think Weight-Watchers means Watch Your Weight (Go Up and Up)!
I am the “tipster” who saw the accident, took the pictures, and saw the injured woman. I can tell you that she was a middle aged looking slim woman, so your theory about her weight is wrong…
I’m glad our tipster also got the chance to dig at the disconcerting speed of… what? If anything needs a dig its the joggers and pedestrians are mostly oblivious of everything and everyone around them.
there’s always at least one person making a real ass of themselves in the comments section… sometimes more than one.
Ummm…would that be a self-reflexive comment??
😉
Oh ScooterStan, I’m sure you’re a real looker yourself. Only UWS scum like you would mock someone in an accident, assuming they were a Southerner. If it’s a lithe Parisian I bet you would jump to their aid. Hypocrites like you are probably big gay marriage supporter, NOH8 and all. But fat flyover tourists are what you really hate,
Re: “If it’s a lithe Parisian I bet you would jump to their aid.”
MAIS, OUI !
RE: “you are probably big gay marriage supporter,”
MAIS, OUI, OUI !!
RE: fat flyover tourists are what you really hate”
MAIS, OUI, OUI, OUI !!!
Over most of the rest of the world, pedicab drivers are sweating their butts off, saving up for the day when they can afford to add a wheel. But, lo, here in our fair city where the price of a block of real estate can equal the GDP of some small countries, we actually encourage these primitive flimsy contraptions.
Though some of statement is true, it should be noted that these “primitive contraptions” are MADE IN THE USA by hand in the heart of an AMERICAN Company based out of Colorado. They are the #1 company in the business. Here’s a link if you doubt that: https://www.pedicab.com/
The Chinese sold us all their used rikshas as they can afford taxis now-and we are broke.
Not only do they charge an obscene amount of money, most have electric motor assist. If someone is stupid enough to pay 5 bucks per minute, then those pedicab drivers should actually work for it. Also they should stay in the park. On actual roads, they are a hazard to everyone including their own passengers!
Though I do agree that there are drivers out there charging obscene amounts of money,the blame should be partially directed to City Council. The 2 most prominent players in the game are Christine Quinn and Daniel Garodnick, both of whom fumbled the law requiring pedicab drivers licenses to begin with. 1st, they demanded the potential driver to possess an Automobile Drivers License (ADL) in order to obtain a Pedicab Driver License (PDL). This would have been a good requirement if it also demanded that said driver had to go through the same process as any other New Yorker. Unfortunately, they determined an International Drivers License (IDL) would be sufficient. Meaning no screening, no test, no training, no culpability. Some of the DLs accepted are handwritten documents with superficially attached photograph! Nearly 2 third of the drivers come to work only for the summer and leave after wreaking havoc on the industry and leaving local drivers to deal with the consequences.
2nd, they changed the pricing requirements. Because a legal (non motorized) pedicab is a human powered vehicle, the city does not have a right to regulate the price of the fare. So as long as it was posted on the side of the bike, it was legal. But some (not all) IDL drivers began to create complicated formulas ($2 per block, $3 per Ave block, per person) to maximize profits during their stay. So CC decided to “reign in” the pedicabs in anticipation of the election year hoopla. According to Garodnick, a driver could take you on a joyride and overcharge you because a visitor doesn’t know the city. So intead, they changed the pricing to a per minute, per ride fare that only allowed bad apples to take their time giving you that same joyride. All they did was make matters more complicated. I’ve found that easiest way to get a pedicab is to “ASK HOW MUCH” before every ride, request a flat fee for the ride (driver discretion) and remember that per person rides are illegal. ONE PRICE FOR UP TO 3 PEOPLE. I Agree, You Agree, We Go.
The average midtown ride should rarely exceed $35.
No – they don’t belong in the city at all…
they actually cause accidents in the Park with normal cyclists (seen it and been in it), where they just stop and/or turn to show off a tree or a statue or stick a selfie stick out.
these destroy more value than these create
Let’s see at up to $7/minute (not kidding I’v seen it) there will be a lot of ex doctors pedaling those rikshas. $420/ hr (tax free) is not bad.
If you let a lawyer/politician/plumber take you for that much on a regular basis, why not? If you’re willing to pay UBER $35 to make you wait for him on a street corner while he is stuck in traffic with all of the other yellow cabs, only to pay him more to make you late anyway, why not?
From the look of the pedicabs position, it seems to have flipped back not upside down.
@Ron Shapley: Was the $68 fare confirmed by you? Depending on the type of ride (A-B or Tour) the price could be justified. If a it’s a fully man powered bike on a tour that price is crackhead cheap especially if you take into consideration that the handsome cabs charge $130 for a 60 minute ride and $50 for a 20 minute ride. Electric motors are PROHIBITED.
@ m_pipik: Pedicabs are permitted on 95% of the park drives, if it was coming off of the bridle path just southwest of the reservoir then it was legally there.
@Dirk: Stop and Frisk would not have prevented this, especially because most drivers carry nothing illegal except for what their passengers are holding. Nothing prevents tragedy in this world. But you should know that Yellow Cabs kill an average of 25 to 35 ppl per year in NYC, both passenger and pedestrian. Pedicabs have a 25 year perfect Non-Fatality presence in NYC and are insured for up to 7 times the amount required by a regular taxi.
@ScooterStan: SMH