Birmingham City Council allows pedal-bus riders to consume alcohol
The Birmingham City Council, at its meeting Wednesday, Jan. 3, voted 6-0 to allow the passengers of pedal buses in the city to possess and consume alcoholic beverages on the bus in certain areas.
This will allow patrons leaving a bar or restaurant in an officially designated entertainment district – such as the Uptown district at the BJCC – to take their drinks onto the pedal bus, according to Julie Bernard of the city’s law department.
However, if they get off of a pedal bus outside of an official entertainment district, passengers must dispose of their drinks or be in violation of the law, Bernard said.
The measure is an amendment to the ordinance the council passed to allow the pedal buses, according to Councilor Darrell O’Quinn.
He is chair of the council’s transportation committee, which recommended the new item.
The council voted to allow the pedal bus service in April 2017.
There are currently two companies licensed to operate pedal buses in the city, Birmingham Pedal Tours and Downtown Pedal Tours, according to Bernard.
Work on the Carver
As part of its consent agenda, the council accepted a bid of $164,400 from Birmingham company Montgomery Environmental to do some limited demolition and abatement at the historic building housing the Alabama Jazz Hall of Fame and Carver Theater on Fourth Avenue North downtown.
The council approved $4.3 million to renovate the facility in 2016.