Is it a bike? Is it a taxi? Is it a billboard? Is it a trailer? Whatever it is, it appears Petoskey Pedicab will be allowed to ride the streets again next summer.. and advertise, too.. despite the past few months of controversy.
The 2 Petoskey pedicabs and their drivers became part of the fabric of Petoskey for many business owners and residents this summer:
"we support the Petoskey pedicab. we have our adverstiements on the baack...we pass out their business cards"
A green pedal-powered politically correct way to get around - with the added attrtaction of two cute guys behind the handlebars!
"I think it's a good idea.. 'm glad they did it"
Some people call the pedicabs goodwill ambassadors for the city of Petoskey, saying they add a nice character to the town.
Calvin Schemanski and his friend Josh Lycka - both raised in Petoskey- .came up with the idea for Petoskey Pedicab when they were working at the Bay Harbor Yacht Club Kitchen last year:
"it was kind of a slower day.it was something we started talking about jokingly.. .Then we talked a little longer and decided it could actually be done, and then we went for it"..
The 19 year olds who attend college now in Grand Rapids and Ann Arbor developed a business plan to take people on short trips through Petoskey's gaslight district in the summer months. Putting signs on the back of the bike's carriage to advertise other businesses was part of the idca from the get-go.
They say they mentioned to the city planner what all that was about .. she didn't think it was something people would like
Suddenly . Shcmasnki says they hit a bureaucratic snag: He says they found that the sign ordinance didn't talk about pedicabs; made no mention of non-motorized vehicles. He says they wanted to play it safe so they filled out the necessary permits and submitted it to the sign committee.
Schemanski says all this was being done in the spring while they were still in school.. they appealed to the sign committee and lost on a 3 to 5 vote... at that point, they were not issued a permitd. The two decided to test the waters on the project.
Te 2 old fashioned looking bikes with black carriages for 2 passengers each.. complete with advertisements on the back..took their first official rides May 15th, 2009 . Offering downtown rides for tips only.. five dollar to 15 dollar rides from bay view to downtown.. and 12 dollar scenic tours.. . City Planner Amy Tweeten took action. july 1st and slapped Schemanski's partner with a ticket for prohibiting the sign ordinance
The Pedicab owner say the real financial problem came from the restriction in advertising, so Schemanski and Lyka obtained an attorney and fought the citation. They claimed that the only difference was the fact that we didn't have a motor.. they say that seemed silly. They didn't think the arguement would legally would stand up at all.
On august 5th.. 90th district judge Richard May dismissed the ticket.
Schemanski says he and Lyka had cheering sections and there was a round of applause
But the Petoskey pedicab dispute ruffled feathers.. and caused some folks to take sides:.. Bottom line: noone seems to want Little Traverse Bay, the sky above it, and the streets of Petoskey's Gaslight District filled with moving billboards. and many most seem to want to make sure the city's ordinances protect Petoskey from that scenario: Also : recent pedicab-related deaths and injuires in seattle, san deigo and new york have raised other concerns,,
Petoskey mayor Ted Pall says simply the city needs a pedicab ordinance.
He argues that there is a point where, without a dramatic change in people's driving habits, there IS a limit on what is safe. He says that's where his interest is. He says the city might have to limit the pedicabs from a safety standpoint.
The Mayor says it's time to be specific. He says although the pedicabs may not have been a problem this past summer, the city needs to protect itself going forward.
The 2 Petoskey pedicabs and their drivers became part of the fabric of Petoskey for many business owners and residents this summer:
"we support the Petoskey pedicab. we have our adverstiements on the baack...we pass out their business cards"
A green pedal-powered politically correct way to get around - with the added attrtaction of two cute guys behind the handlebars!
"I think it's a good idea.. 'm glad they did it"
Some people call the pedicabs goodwill ambassadors for the city of Petoskey, saying they add a nice character to the town.
Calvin Schemanski and his friend Josh Lycka - both raised in Petoskey- .came up with the idea for Petoskey Pedicab when they were working at the Bay Harbor Yacht Club Kitchen last year:
"it was kind of a slower day.it was something we started talking about jokingly.. .Then we talked a little longer and decided it could actually be done, and then we went for it"..
The 19 year olds who attend college now in Grand Rapids and Ann Arbor developed a business plan to take people on short trips through Petoskey's gaslight district in the summer months. Putting signs on the back of the bike's carriage to advertise other businesses was part of the idca from the get-go.
They say they mentioned to the city planner what all that was about .. she didn't think it was something people would like
Suddenly . Shcmasnki says they hit a bureaucratic snag: He says they found that the sign ordinance didn't talk about pedicabs; made no mention of non-motorized vehicles. He says they wanted to play it safe so they filled out the necessary permits and submitted it to the sign committee.
Schemanski says all this was being done in the spring while they were still in school.. they appealed to the sign committee and lost on a 3 to 5 vote... at that point, they were not issued a permitd. The two decided to test the waters on the project.
Te 2 old fashioned looking bikes with black carriages for 2 passengers each.. complete with advertisements on the back..took their first official rides May 15th, 2009 . Offering downtown rides for tips only.. five dollar to 15 dollar rides from bay view to downtown.. and 12 dollar scenic tours.. . City Planner Amy Tweeten took action. july 1st and slapped Schemanski's partner with a ticket for prohibiting the sign ordinance
The Pedicab owner say the real financial problem came from the restriction in advertising, so Schemanski and Lyka obtained an attorney and fought the citation. They claimed that the only difference was the fact that we didn't have a motor.. they say that seemed silly. They didn't think the arguement would legally would stand up at all.
On august 5th.. 90th district judge Richard May dismissed the ticket.
Schemanski says he and Lyka had cheering sections and there was a round of applause
But the Petoskey pedicab dispute ruffled feathers.. and caused some folks to take sides:.. Bottom line: noone seems to want Little Traverse Bay, the sky above it, and the streets of Petoskey's Gaslight District filled with moving billboards. and many most seem to want to make sure the city's ordinances protect Petoskey from that scenario: Also : recent pedicab-related deaths and injuires in seattle, san deigo and new york have raised other concerns,,
Petoskey mayor Ted Pall says simply the city needs a pedicab ordinance.
He argues that there is a point where, without a dramatic change in people's driving habits, there IS a limit on what is safe. He says that's where his interest is. He says the city might have to limit the pedicabs from a safety standpoint.
The Mayor says it's time to be specific. He says although the pedicabs may not have been a problem this past summer, the city needs to protect itself going forward.
