Are you a fan of pedal pubs?
Photo by rwalseth via Instagram
Critics of pedal pubs seized upon Thursday's pedal pub crash in Minneapolis to vent their frustrations over the bikes.
Over at the I Hate The PedalPub Facebook page comments like Julie Tilsen's "nature weeding out the stupid" are typical.
The crash sent two riders to the hospital after the bike tipped while taking a corner at a high speed. Minneapolis Police have ruled that alcohol was not a factor in the crash. The driver of the multi-person bikes isn't supposed to drink alcohol. Passengers are allowed to imbibe.
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The Star Tribune has this overview of the state and local regs:
Early this year, Minneapolis passed new regulations on what it called “pedal cars” — banning hard liquor aboard and requiring operators to obtain licenses ($59 per driver and $98 per vehicle), to operate before 10 p.m., to keep the noise under a certain decibel level and to keep passengers from becoming too rowdy.
Pedal pubs became legal in Minnesota about four years ago, when Rep. Steve Simon, DFL-Hopkins, pushed a law exempting a “vehicle that is operated for commercial purposes in a manner similar to a bicycle ... with five or more passengers who provide pedal power to the drivetrain” from the state’s prohibition on open alcohol containers in vehicles.
St. Paul also passed pedal-pub regulations in 2012. City and police representatives said Thursday that they do not know of any accidents involving pubs there.
Today's Question: Are you a fan of pedal pubs?