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Lawmakers May OK a New Kind of Vehicle

Dawn Kish, arizonahighways.com

State lawmakers are on the verge of licensing a whole new kind of vehicle. Arizona Public Radio’s Howard Fischer explains.

They’re called quadricycles. Essentially they’re a kind of a bicycle, powered by up to 14 people, that you can hire to ferry you and your friends around — perhaps from bar to bar — just like a limousine. They’ve been popping up in some downtown areas. However, they’re not really legal because they fit no real category. So, Rep. Karen Fann chose to go with that idea of calling them limos. That concerned Rep. Eric Meyer.

“These cycles that multiple people can ride on are classified as limousines, which means that you can drink while pedaling these around town,” Meyer said. 

Fann acknowledged that option. But, she said the driver has to remain sober. And, Robert Mayer who manufactures and operates quadricycles in Arizona, said it really does not matter how drunk the passengers are.

“The driver, which is an employee of the company, has total control. So he has control of the steering wheel, he has the brakes. He has all that stuff. So even if they try to pedal and run a stop sign, they wouldn’t be able to,” Mayer said.

The legislation, which gained preliminary House approval Thursday, includes the same insurance and licensing requirements as for limousines with one notable exception — a speed limit of 25 miles per hour.

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