A pedicab ordinance enacted by San Diego City Council in October 2009 is one step closer to enforcement. City officials have completed the distribution of 250 restricted zone decals to pedicab owners and operators, said Lt. Tim Saelens of the San Diego Police Department’s Traffic Division. Effective March 19, pedicab owners or operators doing business in any of the four restricted zones, which include downtown, Mission Beach/Pacific Beach, Ocean Beach and La Jolla, are required to display the official decal. City officials will issue written warnings to violators during a 30-day grace period that began March 19. After the grace period, any owner or operator without a decal will be subject to a citation, Saelans said. The area encompassing the Mission Beach/Pacific Beach Zone is bordered by: the south curb line of Beryl Street and its extension between the Pacific Ocean and Ingraham Street, and the east curb line of Ingraham Street between Beryl Street and the Mission Bay Channel, according to section 83.0113 of the San Diego Municipal Code. Saelens said that the city began exploring the issues involving pedicab use several years ago when a group of business owners, residents and pedicab owners approached the city with a variety of concerns, including safety hazards, traffic congestion and accidents that were attributed to the pedicabs, Saelens said. Saelens also noted that pedicab owners and operators had complained there were too many bicycles operating in the area, and the increased competition made it difficult to make money in pedicab operations. In addition to limiting the number of pedicabs allowed to operate in restricted zones, the ordinance also establishes rules governing mandatory seat belts, parking areas, passenger seating requirements, exterior markings and lighting, and posting of the fare schedule. According to a report to the City Council issued March 3, program organizers issued 215 restricted zone decals to existing pedicab owners and operators and held a lottery to determine who would receive the remaining 35 decals. The permits will be up for renewal every year, Saelens said.