Dangerous pedicabs to face driving fines

New safety rules are to be brought in to govern the hundreds of pedicabs operating in central London.

Experts are concerned that the rapid growth of the bicycle rickshaws - there are now about 600 - is putting people at risk.

Even though they carry passengers, the pedicabs have the same legal status as bicycles. Drivers do not have to be licensed, or have insurance.

The rules are being proposed as part of the London Local Authorities and Transport for London Bill, which will be presented in Parliament on 27 November. It would enable councils to serve fixed penalty notices for parking on yellow lines, jumping red lights or driving in bus lanes.

The move comes after a string of accidents involving pedicabs. In one, a passenger was thrown out and knocked unconscious. In another, a pedicab overturned after a collision with a bus. It also follows two weekends of action last month by police and Westminster council, which led to seven arrests and 43 warnings.

Westminster councillor Danny Chalkley said: "We have been lobbying the Government for some time for further powers to help us tackle rogue pedicab operators, but we do need more weapons... to deal with them before somebody is killed."

TfL's Public Carriage Office said a planned licensing scheme would become mandatory if the High Court declared pedicabs a type of hackney carriage.

Graeme Rivett, spokesman for London Pedicabs, said: "We welcome the new rules but we do need to have allocated parking space and ranks."

Some drivers are against the plans. One said: "It just feels like they are trying to choke us out of business. Clubbers and tourists love us."