{"id":792,"date":"2026-05-30T08:09:15","date_gmt":"2026-05-30T08:09:15","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/metrotransitreview.com\/?p=792"},"modified":"2026-05-30T08:09:15","modified_gmt":"2026-05-30T08:09:15","slug":"how-many-must-die-before-nyc-gets-real-on-policing-e-bikes","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/metrotransitreview.com\/?p=792","title":{"rendered":"How many must die before NYC gets real on policing e-bikes?"},"content":{"rendered":"
\n

Speed kills.\u00a0Speeding ruins lives. New York\u00a0drivers\u00a0constantly\u00a0hear this message from government.\u00a0<\/p>\n

Read more White House releases doctor\u2019s memo from Trump\u2019s visit to Walter Reed: \u2018Remains in excellent health\u2019<\/a><\/p>\n

Why, then, does the city accept the proliferation of illegal motorized\u00a0electronic \u201cdevices\u201d like the 53 mph scooter whose driver killed himself\u00a0and a bicyclist Thursday on the Queensboro Bridge?<\/p>\n

And\u00a0why does\u00a0Gotham\u00a0accept dangerous behavior from the operators of\u00a0legal<\/em>\u00a0e-scooters and e-bikes, too?\u00a0<\/p>\n

Thursday\u00a0morning, a\u00a035-year-old cyclist was\u00a0using\u00a0the Queensboro Bridge\u2019s new\u00a0bike-only path\u00a0to\u00a0travel\u00a0from Manhattan to Queens.<\/p>\n

A 39-year-old man\u00a0driving an illegal\u00a0stand-up e-scooter\u00a0capable of reaching highway speeds smashed into the cyclist head-on, obliterating both lives. \u00a0<\/p>\n

Why was this individual\u00a0driving\u00a0a dangerous device on a path meant for slower-moving cyclists?\u00a0<\/p>\n

Lack\u00a0of\u00a0effective\u00a0rules and\u00a0enforcement.\u00a0\u00a0<\/p>\n

E-bikes and\u00a0stand-up\u00a0e-scooter\u00a0drivers must follow the rules of the road.<\/p>\n

Theoretically,\u00a0they can\u2019t go over 15mph on city roads \u2014 and\u00a0they\u00a0can\u2019t\u00a0be\u00a0capable<\/em>\u00a0of going more than 20. <\/p>\n

But because their drivers\u00a0don\u2019t\u00a0need a license, registration, or plate, those rules are hard to enforce.\u00a0\u00a0<\/p>\n

Much enforcement of motor-vehicle rules is based on a repeat-offender system, under which\u00a0drivers have an incentive not to rack up violations, or\u00a0they\u2019ll\u00a0lose their license.<\/p>\n

Lawmakers\u00a0expanded\u00a0this system in the state budget, requiring the owners of vehicles with 16 (!) or more speed-camera tickets in a year to install\u00a0speed-limiting technology in their\u00a0vehicles.\u00a0<\/p>\n

In 2020, though, the state and city\u00a0legalized\u00a0e-bikes and e-scooters\u00a0without creating any<\/em> enforcement regime.\u00a0\u00a0<\/p>\n

So\u00a0e-bike and e-scooter drivers who\u00a0repeatedly violate speeding and other laws \u2014 like riding the wrong way or\u00a0on a sidewalk \u2014 have no incentive to change their behavior.<\/p>\n

There\u2019s\u00a0no mechanism\u00a0to ensure they pay their fines\u00a0when\u00a0cops\u00a0issue\u00a0them\u00a0tickets. \u00a0<\/p>\n

Last year, the Adams-era NYPD Commissioner Jessica Tisch started giving e-cyclists low-level criminal summonses for breaking the law, forcing them to show up to court.\u00a0\u00a0<\/p>\n

But the Mamdani-era Commissioner Tisch\u00a0stopped\u00a0that.\u00a0\u00a0<\/p>\n

The mayor and the commissioner did so, despite\u00a0having failed\u00a0to come up with a different policy to deter reckless e-cycling and e-scootering.\u00a0\u00a0<\/p>\n

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Mamdani\u2019s ideas are \u201cenhanced safety training\u201d for delivery workers and maybe, someday, working with council members to\u00a0\u201cdevelop legislation addressing the root causes of unsafe e-bike and cycling delivery practices.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n

We\u00a0don\u2019t\u00a0have time for \u201croot causes,\u201d and\u00a0not all reckless e-device drivers are delivery workers, anyway.\u00a0\u00a0<\/p>\n

The council has a bill to\u00a0ban the sale\u00a0of\u00a0e-devices\u00a0that exceed speed limits\u00a0\u2014 fine, good, but who\u2019s going to enforce that law against\u00a0a direct-to-consumer Chinese supplier?\u00a0\u00a0<\/p>\n

So\u00a0the carnage will continue.\u00a0<\/p>\n

Yes, cars and trucks still kill more people.<\/p>\n

But those deaths have\u00a0fallen\u00a0<\/em>in New York City\u00a0for decades.\u00a0<\/p>\n

By contrast, before 2020, pedestrian and cyclist\u00a0injury and\u00a0death by motorized e-devices was non-existent.<\/p>\n

Since then,\u00a0they\u2019ve\u00a0become\u00a0a\u00a0regular\u00a0occurrence. \u00a0<\/p>\n

In\u00a02024, the last year for which full data are available, seven pedestrians were killed in crashes with either a bicyclist or a motorized two-wheeler.<\/p>\n

Before 2020, New York could\u00a0go\u00a0years\u00a0without a cyclist-on-pedestrian death.\u00a0<\/p>\n

And e-device operators are themselves in danger: This year, 11 people have died on e-bikes or stand-up e-scooters, matching a 2023 record.<\/p>\n

Between 2017 and 2019, only four people in\u00a0total<\/em>\u00a0died in such crashes.\u00a0\u00a0<\/p>\n

Yes, some e-bike drivers were hit by car and truck drivers \u2014 but many e-bike operators don\u2019t understand the danger of what they think of as \u201cbicycles.\u201d\u00a0\u00a0<\/p>\n

Mamdani needs to push for three things: first, licensing,\u00a0registration\u00a0and insurance for\u00a0all\u00a0<\/em>e-devices, starting with commercial and app delivery fleets.<\/p>\n

The licensing process could be less onerous\u00a0than getting one for\u00a0driving a car, and insurance\u00a0for non-commercial e-device drivers\u00a0could be a\u00a0cheaper\u00a0add-on to homeowners\u2019 or renters\u2019 insurance.\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0<\/p>\n

Old-fashioned bicyclists should favor these measures: The takeover of bike lanes and paths by e-bikes and e-devices has made\u00a0cycling\u00a0unpleasant and anxiety-producing, especially\u00a0for women.\u00a0\u00a0<\/p>\n

\n<\/div>\n

For\u00a0persistent antisocial actors who\u00a0won\u2019t\u00a0comply,\u00a0we need to revert to criminal enforcement against dangerous behavior.<\/p>\n

The e-scooter driver\u00a0who just lost his life\u00a0on the bridge\u00a0could have received a summons\u00a0to court\u00a0instead. \u00a0\u00a0<\/p>\n

Ultimately,\u00a0restoring\u00a0order\u00a0is up to\u00a0Gov. Kathy Hochul\u00a0and lawmakers.<\/p>\n

The\u00a0state, not the city, creates\u00a0most\u00a0motor-vehicle\u00a0laws\u00a0\u2014 and e-bikes and e-scooters are\u00a0nothing but\u00a0motor vehicles. \u00a0<\/p>\n

Nicole Gelinas is a contributing editor to the Manhattan Institute\u2019s City Journal. <\/em>\u00a0<\/p>\n

Read more Jennifer Lopez\u2019s child Emme debuts new name at high school graduation ceremony<\/a><\/p>\n<\/div>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Why was this individual driving a dangerous device on a path meant for slower-moving cyclists? 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