West End hit by rickshaw gridlock

Rickshaw drivers in London face a clampdown to prevent gridlock on the streets around the West End's hotspots.

The capital's rickshaws have soared in number over the past six years and now stand at about 350.

But under a new licensing regime, drivers will have to register for training and undergo criminal record checks and will be banned from blocking the capital's narrow side streets.

The plans, drawn up by Transport for London, will also allow traffic wardens to ticket illegally parked rickshaws to bring them in line with taxi drivers, who went to court last year in an attempt to get them outlawed.

They claimed rickshaws, which have since sprung up in Oxford, Manchester and Edinburgh, breached an 1869 act of

parliament which gave black cabs a monopoly on soliciting for passengers.

But a High Court judge threw out the challenge, ruling instead that a rickshaw amounted to a "stagecoach", and was legal as long as it charged individual fares for each passenger. There are believed to be seven companies operating rickshaws in London. One of

the first companies to operate was Bugbugs. Set up in 1998, it has since witnessed a boom.

Bugbugs trustee Chris Smallwood, who is a leading advocate for new licensing laws, said: "Pedicabs are quite good as a small part of an integrated transport policy because they're green, and they're a bit of fun. But we need regulation to ensure all operators are subject to a code of conduct."

Rickshaws are generally used for short journeys. But critics have accused them of ripping off tourists.

Bob Oddy, general secretary of the Licensed Taxi Drivers Association said: "We don't want them because they're a nuisance. Licensing won't make any difference at all - we want them banned."