Release Date: Wednesday, May 18th 2011
Citing interest, Tempe may draw up horse carriage rules
By Garin Groff, Tribune
A decade into the 21st century, the normally tech-savvy Tempe thinks the time has finally come to … regulate horse-drawn carriages?
The city is eyeing rules for what Henry Ford made obsolete a century ago after hearing from vendors who want to ferry passengers around downtown.
Only one operator is licensed today. But after several requests came in recently, the city realized it has no rules to deal with potential conflicts if the industry grows.
“It became apparent that we needed to have a mechanism for dealing with those,” Tempe spokeswoman Amanda Nelson said.
The city proposes limiting carriages to the downtown area, between Rio Salado Parkway and University Drive and between Ash and College avenues. They’d have to post rates on carriages and keep records of their operations. Operators would have to provide veterinarian documents, including vaccinations and de-worming information. The carriages could only run from September through April and could not operate when it gets warmer than 92 degrees.
The rules are welcomed by Nancy Hormann, executive director of the Downtown Tempe Community. She typically sees carriages around Christmas but said the DTC gets inquiries from people who want a romantic carriage ride.
The city’s Transportation Committee is reviewing rules and the City Council could consider the issue this summer. A recent transportation meeting raised the issue of whether the carriage rules should trigger regulations on pedicabs, but committee chair Shana Ellis said that’s too complicated an issue to mix with carriages.
Hormann also wants pedicab rules, in part to have them downtown more often. Some passengers feel they’ve been burned, she said.
“When you get in the pedicab, they tell you it’s a tip,” she said. “When you get out, they tell you what the tip needs to be.”
That’s usually $4 or $5. But Hormann said when she was running late once and hailed a pedicab to get through downtown quickly, she was asked for $12. People would feel more comfortable if rates were posted, she said.
DTC would like more forms of alternate transportation and believes some regulation could make it more predictable.
“They’re not always there and it’s not something you can count on,” Hormann said. “I’d like to encourage pedicabs,”
