Hold those trolleys; proposal limits number, narration on streets

 

BY PRU SOWERS

KONK LIFE STAFF WRITER

 

Hoping to “promote the health, safety and welfare of the citizens of Key West,” the city’s legal staff has drawn up a proposed new franchise agreement for sightseeing vehicles that calls for significant changes in how the tour vehicles can be operated.

Hoping to address many of the concerns voiced in public workshops held over the past few months, the proposed ordinance, which will go into effect in February when the current 10-year agreement expires, calls for changes in the number of vehicles allowed on city streets, which streets the trolleys and Conch Trains can use for their narrated tours, and a clause that states the tour narration must not be audible outside of the vehicle.

In return for these and additional operational changes, tour operators will be allowed to add “Ducks,” the amphibious vehicles that can run on both city streets and in the water, to their tour offerings. And the fee operators pay to the city will stay the same – with one possibly significant addition. Currently, tour operators pay either five percent of their gross revenues or $7,500 per vehicle, whichever amount is higher, to the city each year. Fees in the proposed new agreement stay the same – with the same annual increase based on the federal Consumer Price Index – except that vehicle advertising and shuttle fees must now be included in the gross revenue figure. Historic Tours of America, which operates the Conch Train and the Old Town Trolley, is hired by several cruise ship lines to shuttle their passengers into town when they berth at the Outer Mole.

Congestion on city streets was also a concern voiced by several residents in the public workshops.

“It’s real clear vehicles during peak times are running much more frequently than allowed,” said David Kaminsky, a local resident.

As a result, the proposed new franchise agreement adds a clause that would help control the number of vehicles on the street and eliminate a glut of added vehicles during the busy tourist season. The proposed number of vehicles requested by an applicant must be placed into service within 60 days of the date of the agreement. If they are not, the number of vehicles permitted in the agreement will be reduced by the number not placed into service.

The new agreement also requires trolleys and Conch Trains not to “drive at such a slow speed as to impede or block the normal and reasonable movement of traffic.”

Sound levels on the narrated tours were one of the primary concerns of residents. The new agreement will require either headsets or other sound-eliminating devices to be used.

“No sound from such narration shall be audible outside of the sightseeing vehicle,” the new agreement states.

The proposed ordinance will receive a first reading by city commissioners at a special meeting at 6 p.m., Monday, Dec. 15, at Old City Hall. Commissioners will debate other elements in the proposed agreement as well, including a clause that would limit tour vehicles using residential “side streets” on their route. A side street is defined as one that runs between the larger through streets such as Eaton, Fleming and Duval. A side street would be streets such as Grinnell, William and Francis, which are frequently included in current tour routes.

“Should any applicant propose a route that utilizes a residential side street, the route shall not include more than one vehicle per hour on a particular residential side street,” the new agreement states.

Operators will also be required to reduce the number of vehicles allowed in their franchise agreement if vehicles are being operated at less than 50 percent occupancy. Operators must also submit a plan showing how they intent to minimize the number of vehicles on the streets and maximize the percentage of riders.

 

 

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