Westminster pedicabs hit with £5k fines in crackdown

A crackdown on 'noise nuisance' is under way, the council says

Pedicab riders in central London have been forced to pay fines totalling nearly £5,000 so far this year, new figures reveal.

Westminster City Council has released the data as it continues a crackdown on "noise nuisance" pedicabs.

The authority said it had struggled to stop pedicab drivers from charging huge fees as the vehicles were unregulated.

Councillor Aicha Less backed calls for the government to give Transport for London (TfL) more enforcement powers.

Laws covering pedicabs have not been updated since 1869 and the bikes are treated as stage carriages, meaning anyone can buy a pedicab and begin charging passenger fees.

"We will continue to do everything we can to stop rogue riders ruining the lives of residents and spoiling Westminster for our visitors," Ms Less told the Local Democracy Reporting Service (LDRS).

Westminster City Council's first pedicab enforcement operation of 2023 is under way, with a focus on "preventing noise nuisance".

In the latest round of fines, Westminster Council said eight riders were charged a total of £4,792.

One driver was fined £1,380 alone, according to LDRS.

Ms Less said: "It is fantastic to hear that last year's progress made by our council officers has continued and I hope fines like those handed down continue."

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