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An Ordinance amending Title 6 of the Metropolitan Code to amend the definition of Entertainment Transportation Vehicles and to regulate the operation of Seated Sightseeing Vehicles.
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WHEREAS, Nashville has a rich cultural heritage, with various locations throughout the county celebrating the city's history, politics, culinary and fine arts, entertainment, and, of course, its music; and
WHEREAS, each year Nashville welcomes tens of thousands of families from across the world to The Athens of the South, encouraging visitors to experience all aspects of our great city; and
WHEREAS, for 50 years, Nashville's historic tours have helped connect visiting families to cultural sites, telling the great story of Nashville while providing "hop on, hop off" transportation services; and
WHEREAS, the Metro Code envisions that vehicles for hire are regulated by category, with separate code chapters designated for taxicabs (Chapter 6.72), low speed vehicles (Chapter 6.73), pedicabs and pedal carriages (Chapter 6.75), and now entertainment vehicles (Chapter 6.77); and
WHEREAS, though they are both regulated as entertainment transportation vehicles (ETVs), the Metropolitan Transportation Licensing Commission currently distinguishes between sightseeing vehicles and party buses; and
WHEREAS, seated sightseeing vehicles operate on a fixed and approved route, the majority of which occurs outside of the urban core; and
WHEREAS, seated sightseeing vehicles are different from party buses, both by the nature of the vehicles themselves and by the method and purposes they serve to the general public, and so should be regulated separately; and
WHEREAS, seated sightseeing vehicles operate on a pre-approved fixed route; and
WHEREAS, passengers of seated sightseeing vehicles remain seated while the vehicles are in operation, thus the vehicles may be able to safely keep up with the speed of traffic while in operation because the passengers are seated; and,
WHEREAS, it is in the...
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