New York City Council Speaker Julie Menin announced more than a dozen new bills focused on e-bike safety Tuesday. Menin is calling it a comprehensive legislative review of e-bike and e-scooter safety.
In total, 17 bills will be introduced in the City Council next month to increase safety regulations around e-bikes and e-scooters, while also strengthening enforcement of existing laws. The City Council plans to hold a hearing on the bills on Sept. 30.
A 17-year-old cyclist was killed coming off the Brooklyn Bridge in Lower Manhattan last week. Authorities said he collided with an SUV outside the protected bike lane. In May, an illegal e-scooter was involved in a crash on the Ed Koch Queensboro Bridge that left two people dead.
So far this year, there have been 11 e-bike deaths citywide. That’s up from eight during the same period last year.
“Some of the legislation will seek to outright reduce the number of fatalities, whether it is prohibiting the sale and rental of certain e-bikes or mandating that businesses provide deliveristas with safety equipment on the job,” Menin said.
“I think my first focus, frankly, is that which is already illegal. How to ensure that no consumer is duped into believing that that is an appropriate way to be moving around the city, because it is hard for New Yorkers to keep up with what is legal or illegal if they’re able to buy it online,” New York City Mayor Zohran Mamdani said.
The Department of Transportation says overall traffic fatalities are near historic lows, with pedestrian deaths at their lowest point since 2020.
“Every New Yorker deserves to move around our city freely and safely, regardless of how they get around. But too many people have been seriously injured or killed in crashes involving illegal, high-speed e-bikes, e-motos, and e-scooters. We already have laws on the books, yet they are not being adequately enforced — and we must also examine what additional legislative solutions are needed to keep New Yorkers safe,”
NYC Lawmakers Announce “Comprehensive Review” Of E-Bike Safety
