The owners and friends of Pints & Pedals move the vehicle down Market Street on the way to Track 29.Whether 15 people should have the freedom to strap a cooler of beer to the back of a pedal-powered pedicab and ride across downtown Chattanooga is in the hands of the City Council.
The owners of Pints and Pedals and Chattanooga Brew Choo — two pedicab companies in the Scenic City — asked officials Tuesday to pass an ordinance to allow them to turn their human-powered machines into mobile bars.
But the request was met with an hour-and-a-half of confusion by city officials wanting to know why these engine-less vehicles should be allowed to bypass the city’s open container law that restricts customers from walking down city streets with alcohol.
“So they’re not going to sell the beer? How does the beer get there?” asked Councilwomen Carol Berz. “I bring a six-pack and start pedaling?”
After officials asked dozens of questions on alcohol law enforcement and hypothetical situations involving whether other businesses like horse-drawn carriages would catch on to the idea, Councilman Chris Anderson suggested officials delay making a decision for a week. This should give city attorneys enough time, he said, to research how other cities like Nashville safely monitor their low-powered boozemobiles without breaking state laws.