If some New York City Council members get their way, those pedicabs will be banned from operating within 50 feet of a Broadway theater, and if you've ever stood in line to head into a Broadway show, you know how crowded those Theater District streets get.
"Having the pedicabs lined up on the curb ringing their bells trying to get customers, that's only adding to the congestion," said New York City Councilmember Eric Bottcher.
Bottcher is one of two council members representing the Times Square area with a bill to enforce what some theaters are already asking pedicabs to do: give them and their patrons some space.
"They just can't be within 50 feet of theater entrances, and the legislation also requires the Department of Transportation to post signage, so that pedicabs know where they can and can't be," Bottcher said.
"If you want to take one then it's fine, but if you don't, then it's crowded, the cars can't go by. It's kind of uncomfortable for you," said theater patron Viviana Barcelo.
A lot of the discomfort is actually about the noise. Bottcher says theater owners, patrons and even performers have complained about the pedicabs blasting music right outside, disrupting the quieter moments of a show.
"You don't want to hear 'Empire State of Mind' during those moments," Bottcher said.
In the cacophony of the concrete jungle where dreams are made of, pedicab drivers who were asked about the bill told Eyewitness News that they would follow any rules.
The New York Pedicab Alliance says it appreciates enforcement of existing rules to separate the unlicensed pedicabs from the legit ones, but it's not a fan of this proposal.
Theater regulars say they wouldn't mind a little less chaos.
"Well, that would make sense, because as a tourist, you go find what you want to find. They don't need to find you," said theater patron Gina Patrick.
"I guess my question is, how many people are using them?" said a theater patron named Travis.
Another question is, where the pedicabs would go on a street like a block of West 46th that has four major theaters.
"You have some blocks with many theaters. Some with only one or two," Bottcher said. "But in many instances, they'll probably be able to be down the block."
Any penalty for violating those boundaries is still to be determined.
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