In 2022, City Council adopted recommendations to opt-in to a Province of Ontario pilot project under the Highway Traffic Act, which allowed the operation of large quadricycles in Toronto under specific conditions. Among the conditions approved by City Council were the requirements that large quadricycle operators must have a valid pedicab licence, and that all routes must be approved by the General Manager, Transportation Services prior to commencing operations. Since 2022, a single company has operated a tour service using large quadricycles on a seasonal basis (May to October). The two operating seasons in 2022 and 2023 have provided valuable learning opportunities for both City staff and large quadricycle operators. This report serves as an update on the Large Quadricycle Pilot Project and provides a summary of feedback from internal and external stakeholders as well as local residents. It is recommended that the City continue to opt-in to the Province of Ontario's Large Quadricycle Pilot Project. This recommendation is based on findings that conclude large quadricycles did not have identifiable impacts on traffic congestion, transit operations, or public safety in the first two years of the pilot. Input received from local businesses confirms that large quadricycle tours present a small but visible economic development opportunity and support tourism. Further, results from a public survey found that the majority of Toronto resident respondents (77 percent) support the continued use of large quadricycles in Toronto. Many of the conditions under which large quadricycles were permitted to operate were key to the success of this pilot project in 2022-2023. Therefore, this report recommends that the same roadway restrictions continue to apply to large quadricycles, in addition to the requirement that operators submit proposed routes for approval prior to commencing operations. In addition to these requirements, staff recommend that the General Manager, Transportation Services, or their designate, be granted the authority to establish new route approval conditions for large quadricycles. Finally, this report recommends that the limit on the number of licences that may be issued to large quadricycles be lifted but that the City prohibit at all times the use of large quadricycles that are not licensed as pedicabs.
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