Pedicab ordinance amendment advances to final adoption; operator urges easing 3-year DUI disqualification

The council held a public hearing July 16 on proposed amendments to Chapter 375 of the legislative code to allow pedicabs to pull trailers, remove hour restrictions, and align licensing procedures with other code sections. The hearing included testimony from a local pedicab owner who urged the council to revise a provision disqualifying applicants with a DUI within the last three years.

"While public safety matters, this rule goes too far, especially for first time DUI offenders," said Fernando Scott, a local pedicab owner and operator. Scott told the council he was not aware of any recorded DUI-related incidents involving pedicab drivers in Saint Paul or Minnesota and asked the council either to shorten the disqualification period or provide a waiver process for applicants who have completed treatment and legal requirements. "If the state of Minnesota trust them to drive a car, it doesn't make sense to block them from operating a low speed pedicab because the foundation of a pedicab is it's a bicycle not a vehicle," Scott said.

After hearing from Scott, the council closed the public hearing and voted to lay the ordinance over to July 23 for final adoption. Councilmembers said they had received proposed updates that include removing hours restrictions, allowing trailers, and aligning license procedures with chapter 310 of the legislative code; the specific DUI disqualification language was raised by the public testimony but no change was adopted at the July 16 meeting.

The public hearing record includes the testimony and a possible follow-up from council staff and the petitioner at the July 23 session when the council will consider final adoption.