Cycle rickshaw
From Freepedia
A cycle rickshaw, also known as a pedicab, velotaxi or trishaw or "sān lún chē" （三 轮 车) (from tricycle rickshaw), is a human-powered vehicle for hire, usually with one or two seats for carrying passengers in addition to the driver.
The vehicle is powered by the driver pedalling as one would a bicycle, though some rare configurations also have an electric motor assisting the driver. The vehicle is usually a tricycle, though some quadricycles exist, and some bicycles with trailers are configured as rickshaws. The driver typically pedals in front of the passenger seat, though some vehicles have the driver in the rear.
Cycle rickshaws are widely used all over Asia, where they have largely replaced less-efficient hand-pulled rickshaws that required the driver to walk or run while pulling the vehicle. Cycle rickshaws are known as cyclo (pronounced see-clo) in Cambodia and Vietnam, cycle rickshaw in India and Bangladesh, samlor (lit. "three wheels") in Thailand, trishaw in Malaysia and Singapore, becak in Indonesia, and tricycle in the Philippines (which also has motor tricycles). They have been banned in Pakistan for quite some time, and they are often prohibited in congested areas of major cities. For example, in Jakarta they are no longer permitted on major roads, but are still used to provide transportation within individual urban neighborhoods.
While they have been criticized for causing congestion, rickshaws are also often hailed as environmentally-friendly, inexpensive modes of transportation. In many Asian cities where they are widely used, rickshaw driving provides essential employment for poor men and recent immigrants from rural areas.
Cycle rickshaws are also used in some European and North American cities, where they are most often found near tourist attractions. There are several American and European manufacturers of cycle rickshaws, which often incorporate features not found in developing-world vehicles, such as hydraulic disc brakes and lightweight fibreglass bodies. Experimental rickshaws have been fitted with solar powered Internet terminals.
Film
- The 1995 movie Cyclo, by Vietnamese director Tran Anh Hung, centers around a cycle rickshaw driver.
- The 1990s Telugu movie titled "Orey Rickshaw" (Orey literally means "Hey", though in a derogatory tone) where the tone of the story sympathises with the downtrodden.
- "Rickshavodu" (Rickshaw Guy) is another Telugu movie starring Chiranjeevi in the lead roles.
- The 2004 Bollywood movie "Main Hoon Na", starring Shahrukh Khan, has a climactic ending with the hero on a cycle rickshaw racing an SUV full of terrorists downhill.
See also
External links
- International Rickshawforum + list of manufacturers
- Yahoo Group Pedicab
- Velotaxi
- http://www.pedicab.com
- http://www.workbike.org/research/pedalline.html
