My Rochester Pedal Ride experience was last summer, and I intended to review it shortly thereafter,…read morebut I put it off because this is a bit of a challenge to present. I was motivated to complete it when I learned of a recent accident with a similar pedal ride in Atlanta that injured 15 people, some critically, so I wanted to inform others.
13 of us gathered for a couple of birthdays. Before the ride began, everyone was obligated to sign a liability waiver form. It certainly had not occurred to me to bring a helmet, since I had figured we would have a leisurely, low-speed ride on gentle downtown streets, and I had never seen a photo of any participant on this kind of ride wearing a helmet. I was surprised that the form specifically emphasized that it's my decision to neglect to wear this safety gear.
Most of us sat on small seats with low backrests, although I believe some had no backrests. No seat belts or other restraints. We drank beer and other beverages, and somebody selected what type of music we would hear. The set-up would have been nice for a slow tour of the downtown. After we pedaled around the center of the downtown for 5-10 minutes, waving at pedestrians and outdoor diners, moving maybe 5 mph (hard work at times!), our driver, an employee, steered us through a traffic light and suddenly we found ourselves accelerating and sailing down a hill. It was startling how much speed we picked up. By the time we approached the bottom of the hill, I estimate we were traveling 20-25 mph, all while sitting sideways on small seats without seat belts and gripping the edge of the bar for support. At a high speed, the road curved, pulling some people away from the bar while pushing those on the opposite side towards the bar. It felt dangerous on this flimsy-appearing vehicle with a high center of gravity.
I didn't count, but in total I'd say we descended substantial hills about 8 times (some more intimidating than others), repeating a few. One descent was especially harrowing, actually the second trip down the initial hill, which was quite long and curved to the right near the bottom. As we rapidly accelerated with gravity, a car unexpectedly pulled out in front of us, from a driveway or side street, turning right and heading down the same hill. I suspect the driver was accustomed to seeing the pedal vehicle traveling slowly in the central downtown and did not expect it to approach so rapidly. Thank goodness no car was coming from the opposite direction, because our driver had to veer the pedal vehicle into the oncoming lane to avoid crashing into the back of the car, and we partially passed the car. However, by this time, the car driver became alarmed and gunned the engine and got back in front of us, as our driver worked to slow us down with the brake, and we were able to get back behind the car. Kudos to our driver for his actions in helping to avoid what could have been a catastrophic accident.
It is my opinion, particularly after surviving and processing this near-miss, that Rochester is poorly suited for this kind of pedal ride. The central downtown is small, and multiple significant declines come off of it in different directions. The pedal ride vehicle, with its high center of gravity and poorly protected customers, should not be zooming down these hills at such high speeds. If the hills were off-limits, that would be acceptable for safety, although it would make for a monotonous ride in such a small area. The ideal location for a pedal ride like this is a larger city with flat or nearly flat streets.
Aside from the risk involved, I felt the ride entailed more exertion than I would have preferred, on a hot day, partly due to the aforementioned hills, since we also had to ascend at times. I had expected a more comfortable ride. My legs were sore for the next couple of days, yet that was a minor issue, and some even might have appreciated the workout. I awarded two stars despite the above concerns because I did get to see much of the downtown, which was nice, plus I enjoyed the camaraderie with my friends and family. The driver was polite but mostly quiet.
