A Westminster City councillor has told how he was nearly struck by a speeding rickshaw, as pressure grows on the Government to clamp down on the unregulated rides.

Labour councillor Geoff Barraclough said he was walking through the pedestrianised south side of Leicester Square in September when a pedicab came within inches of him.

"Suddenly this electric pedicab flew by. If I had been one step to the left - it was going quite quickly," he said. "People were scattering out of the way ... fortunately I was able to avoid it.

"They go round corners without either indicating or slowing down because they don't want to lose momentum."

Cllr Barraclough backed the growing cross-party call for pedicabs to be regulated under law, including that the drivers be licensed and insured like black cab drivers.

Westminster City Council has lobbied on the issue for years, and is now calling for urgent legislation to control the pedicabs in the West End.

They are currently subject only to 19th-century London stage carriage laws prohibiting behaviour like "wanton and furious driving".

But local leaders and businesses are pushing for them to be licensed, plated and insured, and for their drivers to be background checked and their fares to be fixed and displayed.

MP Paul Scully's bill laying out those powers for Transport for London (TfL) is the latest in years of attempts to legislate the issue, but its progress was again delayed in recent weeks.

Law-abiding London pedicab rider Peter, who did not want to give his surname, says he supports regulating the rickshaws. Credit: Talia Shadwell
Most pedicab riders like this one - Peter, who supports regulation - are perfectly law-abiding

Complaints to the council about pedicabs include "exploitative" pricing, blocking pavements in tourism hot-spots like Oxford Street, riding on pavements, and noise complaints over their sound-systems.

TfL has recorded 16 injuries between 2015 and 2016 involving pedicabs, mostly involving injured cyclists.

However, former rickshaw operator Chris Smallwood said authorities' failed efforts to control the pedicabs over the years had been overbearing.

He said most operators wanted to see fair regulations for an enjoyable way for tourists to see the West End.

Westminster City Council councillor Geoff Barraclough (Photo - Westminster City Council)
Westminster City councillor Geoff Barraclough

But previous efforts had lacked engagement with operators, and caused expensive legal battles over the decades including the one that cost him his business, the London Pedicab Operators Association spokesman said.

In recent years Mr Smallwood has worked with authorities on a way to voluntarily regulate by creating dedicated rickshaw ranks.

The idea was drivers would only be allowed to use the ranks if they met standards such as being licensed and insured. However, the plans collapsed, Mr Smallwood said.

He said the inability of authorities to reach a proportionate way to regulate pedicabs had allowed the industry to become under-regulated and overrun with rogue operators that damaged its reputation.

A Department for Transport spokeswoman confirmed it is aware of local politicians' concerns.

She said: "We recognise the need to regulate pedicabs in the capital and are investigating a suitable way to do this when Parliamentary time allows."

For Soho resident David Bieda, that cannot come soon enough.

Are there too many rickshaws in the West End?

He questioned how public officials could know who was operating the fleets of pedicabs, and how they were paying tax.

Mr Bieda is part of the Covent Garden Area Trust, which along with many West End businesses, has been lobbying for years for pedicab regulation, calling for them to be licensed and insured.

"It's not that people are against them in principle, but the thought is there are too many for the West End," he said.

He added that local business leaders were left scratching their heads over how long it was taking for officials to tackle the problem.

"It's just very peculiar," he explained. "I think there are some MPs who seem to think it's a wonderful bit of entrepreneurship and, if that's the case, they should come and take a ride in some of them."