How about this for your next bachelorette party or couples' night out? Party Bikes may soon be allowed here in Rhode Island! You may have seen these fun vehicles pedaling by in cities like Nashville, Tennessee or Dallas, Texas. It’s a mix of sightseeing and pedaling, and some of these bikes can hold up to 12 passengers, 6 along each side. Riders will do some pedaling while a driver up front steers the vehicle along the road. To keep folks safe, no alcohol would be allowed on board.
Tom Riley owner of Sea Shell Motel near Misquamicut Beach said, "It's like a disco riding down the road." He and his partner Debbie Stebenne said they spent close to $30,000 on one of these party bikes, but it’s just been parked on the property, because it’s not allowed on the road.
They thought everything was a go, but hit some road blocks. They were approved for a business license and the chief of police in Westerly gave it a thumbs up, but the RI DMV halted the idea because as Riley says, "There's just no classification for it in state law.”
Hopefully that will change now that the House has passed a bill to legalize multi-passenger, pedaled vehicles in Rhode Island. Reportedly a Senate version of the bill will be introduced soon. A bill much like this one passed in the House last year but not the Senate so we’ll see what happens this time around. If the legislation is approved, then each individual town would have the authority to issue permits for the vehicles or not.
Rep. Samuel Azzinaro of Westerly, who co-sponsored the bill. "This state depends a lot on tourism and the money that comes in. So, anything you can do for a nice attraction it’s just a boon for the state, especially in tourist towns."
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