As any classicist knows, the pedicab was the ride of choice for the Greek god Hermaphroditus. He preferred the indeterminate nature of the pedicab. Is it a bicycle? Is it an automobile? To the mortal sphere, rider/driver! So this week marks a fierce challenge to the authority of ambiguity. The Washington Business Journal reports that the men and women of the District Department of Transportation seek to settle the question for good by establishing rules for the conduct of pedicab operators. Though DDOT’s language calls for pedicabs to abide by the “safe operation of bicycle regulations,” everything else about the new rules suggests that pedicabs identify vehicle. DDOT will require pedicabs to install seat belts, fancy brakes, head lamps, tail lamps, turn lights, reflectors, and a “loud bell.” One pedicab company owner says the rules makes sense and adds that pedicabs should be insured and their operators licensed. Why regulation now, though? WaBizJo offers that local governments are implementing new pedicab rules in response to their popularity and “as serious crashes occur more frequently.” The WashCycle agrees that pedicabs are picking up around D.C., but has anyone seen a pedicab accident in this town?