Am I the only one who isn't happy about the rickshaw people?

[AlexandNessa]

I dunno ... I'm thinking it's just me (and Mike). There seems to have been a fair amount questions, curiosity, and excitement regarding the rickshaw folks lately. We HATE that they're there!

I suppose it wouldn't be so bad if they had their own path or something, but I find them to be a nuisance. We have never not been approached asking if they can give us a ride. Often times, one driver will ask us, then another will ask us a bit up the way. We liken it to coming off a cruise ship in a Caribbean port being hassled by taxi drivers. Plus, we find the walks to be a romantic and quiet time which is inevitably interrupted by a rickshaw driver ringing that dang bell, making us drop hands and get single file .. which would be fine, but sometimes it's 2-3x a walk. I've nearly been nipped a time or two by empty rickshaws that were going just a bit too fast and me not getting out of their way quick enough.

I suppose there are some who've just had a long day in the parks or have young kids who've had enough, or have a walking impairment ... whatever. All's I'm saying is I liked it a lot better without them and given that they're not going away, I just wish they had their own bike path.

I am the only one, aren't I?

 

[inkkognito]

I read an article a while back about the fact that Orlando has no regulations/insurance requirements etc. for the rickshaws. It focused on downtown...I wonder if it's the same at Universal. If so, it would seem like a heck of a liability situation! The article appeared after there was an accident where a car hit a rickshaw downtown.

 

[damo]

I never really gave them a second thought. I guess that means they don't bother me.

 

[astonrickenbach]

They are not employees of USF and are independent contractors who make no salary and only work on tips. I would imagine they are fully insured or else USF would get sued first in the event of an accident. Large corporations don't leave themselves exposed to this type of liability.

As far as liking them, I enjoy them but I can also see your point. I never thought they were pushy like getting off a cruise ship in Mexico either.

Phil from PA

 

[tarheelmjfan]

We've never had them approach us. Guess we don't look like good tippers. They don't really bother us walking to HRH. We did almost get run over once, but it wasn't a common occurrence. There doesn't seem to be as many that go there though, since it's so close to the parks. OTOH, they were a real nuisance walking to & from RPR, when we stayed there. We were constantly having to jump out of their way. It didn't make for a pleasant walk. I do think it's nice to have the option, especially when we stay at PBH. They really do need to be told pedestrians have the right of way, & anyone who doesn't respect that should no longer be able to work there.

 

[highlander447]

I can see your point, the ringing bell basically shoving u off the path is annoying, I dont find them pushy asnd have used them to give the kids a treat but I would prefer the path bike free

 

[yourgoingagain?]

Yes, it would be nice if they had their own path but that is not going to happen. We go alot (4 - 5 times a year) and typically stay at PBH. When were going to city walk and do not want to wait for the boat it's a good thing! When we stay at HRH we never use it.

 

[Metro West]

I can't remember even seeing them over there.

 

[AlexandNessa]

We've never had them approach us. Guess we don't look like good tippers. They don't really bother us walking to HRH. We did almost get run over once, but it wasn't a common occurrence. There doesn't seem to be as many that go there though, since it's so close to the parks. OTOH, they were a real nuisance walking to & from RPR, when we stayed there. We were constantly having to jump out of their way. It didn't make for a pleasant walk. I do think it's nice to have the option, especially when we stay at PBH. They really do need to be told pedestrians have the right of way, & anyone who doesn't respect that should no longer be able to work there.

Our primary complaint with them is at the RPR also (haven't stayed PBH since they started working). Some are very nice and take a simple "no, thanks" for an answer. Some say "are you sure? I can drop you right off at Margaritaville..." Once we would get out of that, there would be another driver up the way a bit, and we'd have to go through the same thing.

We enjoy the walks, and if we're staying for a longer period of time, we make a point of telling any driver we see more than once during our stay that "no thanks, we enjoy the walk," hoping they'll get the hint and not bug us, but that's only worked once.

 

[MWS94Rock]

I like the rickshaw people for the simple fact that if I miss the boat to the hotel and the bus transportation isn't there, I have a third option. After a long day of walking at the parks, a 1.4 mile hike to PBH isn't something I would like to do.

I rode it once when I was down there last week. The driver was really nice and funny.

He did tell us that he gets free admittance into the theme parks

 

[disneyfreakk]

They always ask us if we would like a ride. However, DH and I are *ahem* .... fluffy. I would feel horrible making someone who weighs maybe 120lbs soaking wet peddle our big butts around. LOL. We always tell them no thank you, we can use the exercise. They don't really know what to say to that, so we don't get all the "are you sure??"

Other than that, I dont really notice them on the path. But then again, I drink alot while on vacation................

 

[patster734]

Most of the time, we just took the boat. But it is frustrating to have to keep looking over your shoulder, in anticipation of a bike, when walking on the path.

 

[ky07]

lol not being mean but i would hate to see the huffin and puffin they would do if i got in and it would not be a pretty site and it would make me feel bad.

 

[Cinderella822]

I'm not crazy about them either. We stayed at PBH last summer and enjoyed the long stroll to the parks. I agree that we had to keep jumping out of the way of them during our entire walk. And there seemed to be a lot of them going by. It did make the walk less enjoyable. And we were approached numerous times by them asking if we wanted a ride. They weren't obnoxious about it, but persistent. I have nothing against them and I give them a lot of credit for pedaling people around in the hot Orlando sun all day just for tips, but they do need their on path.

 

[Motherfletcher]

May is National Bike Month!
For more than the past decade Florida has ranked the worst in the nation for bicycle and pedestrian fatalities. A few of us are doing what we can to change that. When I saw how they taught bike safety in the elementary schools I contacted the University of Florida and signed up to go through the grueling classroom and on road bike safety course so I could teach the Physical Education teachers how to teach bike safety in the schools. I earned a Regional Trainer moniker and went on to the League of American Bicyclists training to become a certified League Cycling Instructor and now qualify as an expert witness. I have since done teacher training, train the trainer classes, over a hundred bike rodeos and have even taught a class to the Sheriff's bicycle cops. I was pulled over on my bike the day before yesterday by one of my students who has gone on to become the Lieutenant of the Traffic Department. I didn't get a ticket or anything he just wanted help with seat belt enforcement at the adjacent elementary school. That said, I don't consider myself a biker and I would never consider donning spandex.
There are a couple of things that I see wrong with the pedicab service from the hotels. The pedicabs were an afterthought and the sidewalk was not designed for bicyclist speeds and is a substandard width for a shared use pathway. The Florida Greenbook says the path needs to be a minmum of 10' wide and should be designed for 20 MPH traffic which means the curves are too tight. Florida law allows bikes to be on the sidewalk and requires the bikes to yield to pedestrians. The law also requires an audible warning when passing a pedestrian, therefore the annoying bell. I think I prefer the bell to being passed by a bike without warning. The best thing for Universal or Loew's to do is to hire me to teach the pedicab drivers bike safety and how to drive friendly! If anyone gets injured let me know and I'll go to court with you. We could end up owning ET and all of their bikes! Florida law requires kids under 16 to wear bike helmets. ET is not the best role model.

 

[AlexandNessa]

Thanks, everyone, for your responses!

Motherfletcher, I could help you write a business case for hiring you as head of Rickshaw Safety. They could take out your services in trade. No, not that kind of trade. Perhaps one week free a year at the hotel of your choice, in the suite of your choice with full club privileges and $150/day in charging privileges?

 

[Motherfletcher]

Couldn't I just live there? In the Govenatore Suite?

 

[chobie]

I find them pretty irritating, actually. One of the things I like about staying on-site is the leisurely walks through the garden paths, but every few minutes there is that annoying ring and we have to all flee to the side of the path. One of them came flying very fast around the corner in that tunnel that goes to Portofino and even though we got the warning buzz we literally had a few seconds to scrambled to the side of the path before ti came whizzing by us.

Of course the reason we were on the paths so much was because we "pool-hopped" over to Portofino from HRH a couple times a day...


On the other hand, I can see how they would be useful when you are tired, but we couldn't figure out how much to tip and we like to just carry our room key with us, How much does on tip for those things?

 

[Disney owl]

Am I right in this that you just pay them a tip not a fee? How much do you tip if you use them?

Think DH & I too large for this but I'm sure the kids ( teenagers )would enjoy it.

 

[Motherfletcher]

I tip $5 but the girl I was with tipped $20. Combined weight near 450. She was really impressed that someone found a way to get paid for riding a bike.