Yomiuri: Asakusa rickshaws to be banned from sidewalks
Asakusa's iconic rickshaws are to be given a place to park thanks to a decision by the Metropolitan Police Department, which has decided to designate part of the road in front of the Kaminari-mon gate in Taito Ward, Tokyo, as a parking area for rickshaws, MPD officials said. The new regulation, however, will ban rickshaws from being parked on the sidewalks and walkways around the gate...to ensure traffic can flow freely. The measure will come into force in late January...The Road Traffic Law categorizes a rickshaw as a light vehicle, which is as same as a bicycle and a "riyaka" two-wheeled cart. It is illegal for rickshaws to be parked on sidewalks and driveways. However, about 20 rickshaws are parked on the sidewalks of Asakusa on weekends to wait for customers. The police said visitors to the area have complained that because rickshaws are parked across the sidewalk it can be difficult and dangerous to pass them..."Although the rickshaws have become a major tourist attraction in the area, the current situation of random parking is not desirable," an official of the police station said...more...
