City works on pedal carriage proposal

Woman wants to start franchise to operate in Fayetteville’s downtown

FAYETTEVILLE — City officials are working on a proposal that would enable a new way to go bar hopping around downtown.

A proposed ordinance would establish the rules for a pedal carriage to operate. Pedal carriages are powered by passengers with a driver who steers and operates the brakes. They’re most often associated with tourist towns and often the passengers can drink beer or wine while

working together to pedal.

Amber Sinclair, a Lowell resident who has lived in the region since 1995, approached the city with the hope of establishing a franchise of the Pedal Pub company, which has more than 40 licensed locations nationwide. Sinclair said she got the idea when planning a birthday for a friend, and came across an advertisement for the company’s franchises.

“That’s when I realized this is what I’m supposed to be doing with my life,” she said.

The city has ordinances regulating taxis, pedicabs and carriage rides, but not pedal carriages. Pedicabs are smaller carriages with a bike up front that can carry one or two people. Pedal carriages can carry about 16 passengers.

Assistant City Attorney Blake Pennington said elements of the previous ordinances were incorporated

into the pedal carriage proposal, but the vehicles are different enough to warrant their own set of regulations.

The owner of the pedal carriage company would have to get a certificate from the City Council, just like the owners of taxi companies. The drivers of the pedal carriages would have to get a separate permit from the Police Department. The driver’s permit would have to be renewed every year.

General liability insurance of not less than $1 million would be required. Drivers would have to be at least 21.

The carriages generally are about 17½ feet long, nearly 8 feet wide and can weigh up to a ton. Sinclair said she plans to get an electric-assist carriage to make traversing hills easier. About 16 people can fit in a carriage.

The proposal would allow carriage operators to go where they want within a boundary downtown. However, Sinclair said she would set options for routes and pickup so passengers would know what to expect. Riders would need to book ahead online. They could pick a route, a time and the number of seats they want.

The council is expected to take up the measure March 17. If it passes, passengers won’t be able to drink on board until the council passes a separate proposal creating an entertainment district.

A previous proposal to establish the district has been on hold since October. The proposal would allow people to walk around downtown with alcoholic beverages.

Devin Howland, the city’s economic vitality director, has been reworking the proposal with the input of local business owners. He said he hopes to bring it back to the council soon, but wants more feedback from business owners.

The pedal carriage and entertainment district proposals will be separate items for the council to consider. Pedal carriage drinking could be a later phase of the entertainment district proposal, Howland said.

In the meantime, Sinclair said she envisions a bar tour of sorts for her pedal carriage. She requested routes that would let her reach Nomads near School Avenue and 15th Street on the south side of town and the brewery area near Poplar and Ash streets north of downtown. The tour route could then hit up the downtown spots in between.

Sinclair said she trained in Minneapolis, where Pedal Pub is based, to learn how to drive a carriage. They handle sort of like large vans, and are built to be able to round corners and go up and down hills without bottoming out, she said.

The carriages will have a sound system installed. If the group hits an especially challenging hill, it might hear “Eye of the Tiger” start playing for a little motivation, Sinclair said.

“I’m really excited to be a part of this process, especially being behind the scenes of helping create this ordinance and bring something fun to Fayetteville,” she said.

Stacy Ryburn can be reached by email at sryburn@nwadg.com or on Twitter @stacyryburn.