By Claire Davenport
City Councilmember Robert Holden, the lead sponsor of the controversial Priscilla’s Law, which would require all e-bikes in New York City to be registered and display license plates, appeared Tuesday night at a town hall organized by the NYC E-Vehicle Safety Alliance (EVSA).
Holden, who represents District 30 in Queens, got a loud cheer as he stood up to address the crowd of around 100 at St. Paul & St. Andrew United Methodist Church, on West 86th Street.
“It’s unsafe out there,” he said, pacing in front of the pews. “We can’t cross the street or go out of our homes. We can’t live like this, folks. There are interest groups opposed to my bill, but they’re the minority,” he added.
EVSA, a community organization with over 1,000 members — 91 of whom have been hit by e-vehicles — believes the solution to these issues is legislation to make it easier to identify and penalize bikers who hit pedestrians and break traffic laws.
“Consequence is what shapes behavior,” said Janet Schroeder, one of EVSA’s cofounders. “To be clear, we’re not anti-bike, we simply want these vehicles to be regulated.” Currently, there are regulations at the state level that require mopeds to be registered and licensed at the point of sale, but these rules do not apply to e-bikes.
Blown-up photos of e-bike accident victims and their grisly injuries were posted around the church nave. At the front of the room, a photograph of Priscilla Loke, who was killed by an electric Citi Biker in a hit-and-run crash in 2023, was taped to the pulpit. Priscilla’s Law is named for Loke.
Victims themselves also spoke emotionally about their experiences. One woman told her story of being hit by a moped, losing consciousness, and waking up under a park bench. “I’ve stopped walking outside,” another victim said through tears. “I don’t know how to behave.” Pamela Greitzer-Manasse, a third survivor, said that she had lost her livelihood as a cellist due to her injuries, and that the person who hit her was spotted by witnesses having coffee and a croissant right after the crash. “I’m scared of being hit again,” she said.
About an hour into the town hall, UWS City Councilmember Gale Brewer appeared. Brewer has supported measures to make the lithium-ion batteries that power e-bikes safer, but opposes Priscilla’s Law. Prior to her arrival, there was some animosity towards Brewer from the crowd. “How do we get rid of Gale Brewer?” one attendee yelled.
Brewer explained that she thinks enforcement against e-bikes should come from the state and that the city isn’t equipped to roll out these policies or enforce them. At the end of her speech, she said she would be willing to support EVSA with a vote to end the city’s micromobility pilot program in city parks. EVSA steering committee member Andrew Fine called Brewer an “excuse-maker,” but gave her credit for showing up to listen, and applauded her support of the bill “to prohibit the operation of electric scooters and bicycles with electric assist in any park under the jurisdiction of the department of parks and recreation.”
Priscilla’s Law is currently cosponsored by 31 council members, three shy of the number needed to automatically compel a hearing in the City Council. Last fall, it got the necessary 34 cosponsors, but two council members rescinded their support after lobbying by Transportation Alternatives, a nonprofit organization whose mission is to take back the streets from cars.
Throughout the event, organizers and legislators spoke frequently and derogatorily about Transporation Alternatives. Councilmember Holden commented “What’s their solution? When we met with the Mayor, they said they had a ‘holistic solution.’ What the heck is that?” Someone in the crowd yelled, “They’re funded by tech companies!”
According to their 2023 public funding data, Amazon and Uber are among 13 donors who have given over $100,000 to the nonprofit, while Lyft and Citi Bike gave between $50,000 and $99,999.
A spokesperson for Transportation Alternatives previously told the Rag that they see Priscilla’s Law as part of a war on bikes more generally, and that e-bike licensing would be “ineffective and a nightmare.” They also argued that these regulations could lead to discriminatory police stops against e-bike users who are delivery workers and that it would dissuade ridership.
Schroeder contested these claims at last night’s event. “The views of our opponents, whether they know it or not, are ageist and ableist.” And, in fact, many attendees at the event and victims of e-bike collisions who spoke were older adults.
Throughout, organizers insisted that “we are the majority of New Yorkers.” There is not currently enough data on public sentiment about e-bike safety in New York City to prove or disprove the claim. A previous survey about the city’s micromobility program suggested New Yorkers are split on the issue. But the town hall made clear for a lot of Upper West Siders, especially for older adults and those with disabilities, the threat feels very real.
Marian Lewis, who is now 88, summed up attendees’ sentiments when she spoke about being hit by an e-bike in 2021 while crossing the road in Central Park. Due to the collision, she shattered her left hip and developed blood clots. She ended up surviving, but later had a stroke and now can’t bike anymore. “The highest form of love is right action,” she said. “And Priscilla’s Law is right action.”
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license plates are fine, but nowhere near enough. They would only allow you to try track someone down after an incident. How about requiring reflective clothing and front and back lights, so we can see these bikes as they barrel down the bike lanes and sidewalks at night!
How about the police actually do their jobs?
It’s real easy to spot an e-bike being driven the wrong way, or driven at night without the legally required illumination.
The drivers can be stopped, and the machines seized.
But instead the NYPD classes e-bike infractions as a “quality of life issue” and does nothing about these very dangerous drivers.
If you see an Ebike on the sidewalk, should one call 311 or 911?
Lights are already required by law. Since 1976, in fact.
Just want to comment on the ageist “lost of gray heads”. That’s true of every meetings in the city teying to enact legislation because seniors have more time for this and are more involved in their community HOWEVER I’m 35 and was in attendance as someone who got hit by an ebike. Do not think that younger adults are not extremely bothered by what our streets look like.
Thank you for calling this out Noemie (I’ve seen you speak at prior EVSA events). This caption is ageist and insulting. I am also “not gray,” and am extremely concerned about this issue. I am a member of EVSA. And, is this suggesting that the issues should be taken less seriously because many of the supporters are older? No one in NYC, regardless of age, should be worried about their safety when walking around their neighborhood.
Where is the NYPD? Why have they stopped enforcing traffic laws? Requiring registration etc for e-bikes is fine but kind of pointless if NYPD doesn’t enforce the new rules the same as they dont enforce the existing rules? Why doesnt NYPD post an officer on Columbus/Amsterdam Avenue bike lanes and ticket each rider who is going the wrong way in the bike lane? Enforce speeding, running red lights, riding on sidewalk etc? They e-bikes do all these things because they know NYPD wont do anything to stop them. I am all for delivery guys earning a living but why cant they earn their living AND ride the correct direction on Amsterdam/Columbus and stopping for red lights, yielding to pedestrians etc?
PS. And if you are operating an e-bike/moped with a throttle that can go 25+ mph, get out of the bike lane and get into the street with the other motorized vehicles. If you are operating a vehicle, then the same laws should apply and be enforced.
Even if this is a war on bikes so what? They are fighting a war on cars.
There is no war on bikes. This isn’t an either/or situation. It’s an EVERYBODY situation. Pedal bikes riders are being hit and maimed, too. They don’t stand a chance against an e-bike, either.
Please ban these ebikes already. Registration is not going to accomplish anything because there is no enforcement. Bigger government, no results. There is no reason people need ebikes.
Yes there is!! Not that I’d be able to use one ‘cos I’m an old person..
If you don’t live close to the subway the only way to get around in NY is to take the bus! Good luck with that!! The # M57 if you live on the far west side comes VERY infrequently ! Between 15 to 30 minutes and not every bus stop has seats to wait for them to arrive..
Why do you think the only option is a a bus? How about pedaling a regular bike. There is no excuse for e-bikes. I am told they have been banned in some cities in Europe so it is not unreasonable to suggest they be banned here. New York can do quite well with bicycles that can only travel as fast as someone can pedal.
Anyone who is focusing on the threat of E-Bikes over the threat of cars has seriously lost the thread.
But you don’t see cars driving on sidewalks through crowds of pedestrians, right against stopped cars or store doors where people are stepping out (the latter is where I got smoked by an e-scooter who then assaulted me). They’re able to move way too fast and unpredictably for pedestrian spaces. The concern for safety with e-vehicles is valid.
You’re joking, right? This is not about getting hit and killed by a car. This is about RECKLESS bike riding. Reckless driving is a rarity with cars, but an every second occurrence with e-bikes. If we were talking about dogs, it would be pretty moronic to bring up cats. Let’s stick to the topic, okay? The topic is bikes.
Also, cars typically follow traffic laws, such as stop at red lights. Most bikes, ebikes, or mopeds unfortunately don’t. It wouldn’t be a problem if they did follow traffic laws.
Your statement is a type of fallacy known as a “false dichotomy.” Both E-bikes and cars are threats to public safety. People are capable about being concerned with more than one thing at a time. There’s no reason to choose. What’s worse is that your statement is basically the Trans Alt propaganda.
Thank you Joel. I’ve been saying the same thing for a number of issues. 2 things can be true at the same time. Yes, cars are more dangerous than bikes of any kind AND the threat of e-bikes is dramatically increasing (in my opinion).
I believe that we should be cracking down on both negligent driving and negligent use of e-bikes.
the “cars are more dangerous, so don’t worry about e-bikes” has become a really lazy response to the issue.
Likewise, People seem to be using the “Ebikes are more dangerous argument”, to detract from the fact that pedal bikes are riding rampant on the sidewalks and park paths. I would like to point out that pedestrians are more dangerous than the people who hide in their homes out of fear. Because such folks are the lowest in the argument chain, they shouldn’t have any rights at all (it would seem).
By average of miles traveled and kinetic energy, e-bike drivers are much more dangerous to pedestrians than cars/
It doesn’t matter what we require. It’s all about enforcement.
…and law enforcement in NYC these days is corrupt, corrupt, corrupt. As we are learning, it stinks from the head.
“A spokesperson for Transportation Alternatives previously told the Rag that they see Priscilla’s Law as part of a war on bikes more generally, and that e-bike licensing would be “ineffective and a nightmare.” They also argued that these regulations could lead to discriminatory police stops against e-bike users who are delivery workers and that it would dissuade ridership.”
A war on bikes? These people are so over the top, just like any radical. How about that the current bike situation is a war on pedestrians? Why exactly would e-bike licensing be a “ineffective and a nightmare”? The city regulates everything from food vendor licenses to certificates of occupancy for apartment buildings. There is no evidence that there would discriminatory police stops. Follow the law and you won’t get stopped.
The two council members rescinded their support after lobbying by Transportation Alternatives should be run out of office.
One person got hurt by an e bike and then rescinded their support after lobbying.
we don’t need more legislation, rules, paperwork, etc. i am CERTAIN that the laws on the books currently are sufficient to prevent 99.9999% of the problems we see with ebikes. registration will not curb behavior in the same way that current laws are not curbing behavior. we need to ban these bikes.
i am not a democrat, but i always looked at the UWS and the city as a democrat bastion, full of people with clout who could really get things done. but apparently, i am very wrong. the disconnect between city government and its people is so bad at this point that its disturbing. we literally cannot even cross the street at this point – and the funny thing about it is that although NOBODY wants these ebikes, we literally cannot do anything about it. central park is overrun by people disregarding the rules/laws of the park 24/7 all day long!!! why is all this stuff happening that, by far, the majority of people don’t want?
the city, and its representatives, have gotten so used to giving it’s constituents the brush off, that its not even a thing anymore, its to be expected. we literally do not have a representative government in this city, we have an out of control city government that has no competition and can afford to ignore the wants and needs of its citizens without suffering any consquences at all.
I agree with most of your points although I think the e-bikes and the e-scooters are a bit of tech that are not addressed by the current(archaic) laws on the books. For example e-scooters are classified as “mopeds”, which is an outdated term from the 70s when the reality is that these new vehicles are a form of electric motorcycle.
“the city, and its representatives, have gotten so used to giving it’s constituents the brush off” because they have been bought by Trans Alt. As always – “follow the money.”
All of this is of course the product of a one party system that exists in NY. There is no meaningful alternative to vote for change.
Central Park is a stress-filled mess.
lotta gray hair in that picture
Therefore?
Keep them out of the parks. Keep them out of the bike lanes. Make them yield to pedestrians in the crosswalks. Keep them from riding against traffic. To protect pedestrians, treat them like cars. Oh, I forgot.
One solution could be to require tags and operator licenses for all motorized vehicles, but all delivery riders should be required to display prominently which company, service, or restaurant they work for and an easily seen identity number. The services should also be required to carry insurance riders on the workers, and give them explicit training that forbids riding on sidewalks or running red lights. All these workers should have to wear helmets. We need more enforcement from NYPD when they witness bad riders, no matter what. I am a disabled senior who uses a walker and I feel like I’m being targeted by the irresponsible riders who never stop for red lights or if they do, they stop in the crosswalk, blocking the access ramps at corners. I understand that many of the riders are working hard, but I often see groups of them in Straus Park smoking weed. How are they allowed to operate their motorized bikes under the influence of an intoxicant? I am all for the The delivery services do a great job at delivering food and providing jobs to people who need them, but they have created mayhem on the streets by not self-regulating with common sense. It’s time to hold them accountable.
“One solution could be to require tags and operator licenses for all motorized vehicles, but all delivery riders should be required to display prominently which company, service, or restaurant they work for and an easily seen identity number.”
Unfortunately almost none of these delivery drivers work for the actual restaurant anymore. They are essentially third party contractors aka “gig workers” for a company headquartered in Silicon Valley.
As one of the first victims of an e-vehicle crash as reported in the Rag in 2022 and an EVSA steering 4 core committee , I applaud this article. Thank you for printing most important facts that EVSA presented at this Town Hall.
Called out Transportation Alternatives and CM especially Gale Brewer who refuse to sign onto Priscilla’s Law.
Accountability-Priscilla’s Law= efffective law enforcement.
“Accountability-Priscilla’s Law= efffective law enforcement.”
I don’t understand how making a law equals law enforcement. First of all, nobody is going to register because there are no practical consequences to not registering because there is no enforcement nor will there be.. Others will use fake placards. Most will just ignore the law. But what will happen is that 100 government workers or more will be hired to administer and oversee the law and probably millions of dollars in contracts to third parties for administration. Meanwhile, not one single less person will be hit by a bike.
And even if someone did comply with the law and register and affix a plate on their bike with an identifying number, who will see it when the biker drives off after hitting someone? Does anyone honestly think that such a law will serve as a deterrence to a single person?
And what is the point anyway when there is no enforcement of existing laws. Already cops just sit in their cars (rare site, but that’s another issue) and watch ebikers run rampant all day long without doing anything. They are in central park and just ignore it. If they ignore violations now, what makes you think they won’t continue to ignore violations when/if Priscilla’s law becomes law?
At best, Priscilla’s law will have a very minimal effect on the problem and cause millions of dollars of administration and a huge beauracracy to be assembled with 311 phone operators, divisions, emails, certificates, penalties, appeals, etc and further bloat nyc government. Most importantly, the law will be ineffective at tackling this very serious problem while leading people to think that a real solution has been found. This will basically put this serious issue to rest, probably never to be dealt with for another 10 – 20 years. Why nobody talks about banning these bikes is beyond me. I can’t think of one serious argument for why they are needed.
The bikes cannot be banned, because this is the future of transportation. Welcome to the 21st century. Secondly , cars have the same issues — they get ticketed by red light CAMERAS. This is why license plates are needed. All the gloom and doom of your soothsaying really doesn’t help the problem at all. Then when the fines accrue, they must be paid, and that usually stops egregious behavior, because nothing speaks to an American like MONEY. If the fines aren’t paid, the car, or ebike, is impounded and the person sometimes even imprisoned. If the ebike would be riding without a license plate, it would be removed immediately from the road. If the plate is fake, same thing. We are looking for REAL solutions, not pie-in-the-sky solutions like ban this popular item, which would be challenged and lost in court.
Gail Brewer should be voted out. She simply won’t represent her constituents’ concerns.
E bikes and pedal bikes should be held to account for wilful riding on sidewalks. Pedestrians with zero situational awareness ought to be held to account for wilful ignorance.
How much “situational awareness” should a blind person have? Please tell us.
OR A HEARING IMPAIRED PERSON!
a pedestrian shouldn’t have to be situationally aware of an bike illegally traveling on a sidewalk 3-10 times faster than pedestrians walk.
If you consider the indictments brought against the Mayor yesterday-just the indictments-you see the tenor of government in New York City. It’s called Pay to Play. Make note of it because it’s intrinsic.
I found myself wondering why in this particular case against the Mayor these “crimes” were different than any others that go on every day as if they are perfectly fine. I realize that these indictments include a foreign government which is a little different. But here in the case of unregulated motorized vehicles, we know that because of special interests who have doled out a lot of money to our elected leaders, regulation AND enforcement of existing laws on e-bikes, scooters, mopeds, etc, are non-existent.
Imagine in a city of nearly 9 million people there are vehicles which go 25 mph, and obey no traffic laws yet are never stopped by the police. It’s outrageous. It just exemplifies the power of lobbies and corporate entities on this government. Lyft-CItibike, Door Dash, Grubhub, Transportation Alternatives. Pay to play.
The #1 job of government is to keep its citizens safe!! We see example after example of young and old New Yorkers and visitors to NY (Lisa Baines, actor killed by an e-vehicle while visiting NY) who have been maimed with life altering injuries by hit and run, lawless e-vehicles!
It was said by Kamala Harris yesterday that safety is a civil right! I couldn’t agree more. And if our elected leaders at the city or state level cannot agree on that then they need to move on out. This is a civil rights and a human rights issue. Keep fighting and bless Bob Holden, Jenifer Rajkumar and grass roots NYC-EVSA for their countless hours of work to protect the pedestrians, children, disabled and visitors to NY.
I wear a reflective vest when I walk at night on West End Ave or Riverside Drive or any dark street
Bless Janet Schroeder and EVSA for keeping trying to make our lives safer and better.
Has licensing cars been ineffective? Back in the pleistocene era (1950s) in the Live Free or Die state,bikes had to be registered. Unlike being hit by a cyclist here, no one got PTSD from getting plates for our Schwinns.
there are more and more ebikes in riverside park everyday! nobody is stopping them. toddlers and small dogs are especially at risk. one should be able to walk in the park without gettting hit by an ebike.
Please share this feedback with the parks department: https://www.nycgovparks.org/planning-and-building/nyc-parks-e-pilot-map-input-tool
The situation in Riverside Park is only going to get worse over the next 6 months with the closure of Cherry Walk on the Hudson River. I think e-bikes should be banned from Central Park as well, at least after 8am or so when it starts to get crowded. Just yesterday afternoon there was a group of teenagers on electric Citibikes (with some riding in the baskets) using the running lane to weave between runners and race each other. And then there are the riders (mostly delivery people) going very fast without any lights or reflective gear after dark.
It’s not safe.
As has been mentioned several times — NYC and state traffic laws already require all bikes and mopeds to obey the same rules as cars– especially red lights, stop signs and direction of flow of traffic regulations. Each NYPD precient should make a concerted effort to first educate cyclists (delivery workers and other riders) and then enforce these laws. We do not need the added drama of registration — just a willingness to use the tools we have. I have confidence that the NYPD can do this with the drama of confiscation or arrest. We all want to be safe when walking on ther streets and sidewalks.
Registering an ebike is not dramatic.
It allows traffic violators to be caught by camera. Thats all the enforcement that we need.
As car owner, I was once ticketed for a moving violation – I was caught by camera and they found me through my license plate. And that one ticket has changed my behavior.
Funny enough, I basically never see anyone on a normal bike riding on the sidewalk anymore. They’re generally in the street, in a bike lane, etc. and while the whole bike system is imperfect, it’s functioning reasonably well. It could and should definitely be better, but the days of the bike messengers on fixies running red lights causing 90 year olds crossing the street to have heart attacks are over.
On the other hand, e-bikes, more specifically the bikes with the throttles allowing their driver to go from 0-25mph in under 3 seconds, are constantly on the sidewalk AND using lanes intended for people riding 10-15mph on average. You can never trust these guys to go in the right direction, not jockey for position, or run red lights. I think it’s easy enough to understand the reasons – they need to make money, and it’s one of the few ways most of them can – but that doesn’t mean there shouldn’t be consequences for bad behavior.
I’m frankly fed up with it, and while I understand Councilwoman Brewer’s hesitance to have the city regulate, I also totally get the frustration of the locals. I trust that she is probably right in terms of structure/enforcement capabilities, but the city needs to do something to tamp down on bad behavior by e-bikes and mopeds. This all comes down to the ability of the city to get its employees (cops) to do their jobs…. which is as we can pretty much all see is a crapshoot at best on a good day.
P.S. I’m saying this as an able-bodied 30-something, not a grayhair. Pretty surprised to see that as one of the taglines on the photos. That wasn’t cool, Rag.
It’s not just e-bikes that are the problem. Regular bikes and scooters as well as cars zoom through crosswalks when pedestrians are crossing with the walk sign and police do nothing. I was hit by a fast-moving scooter while in a crosswalk. The guy fell, cursed me, got up , and rode away, leaving me to pick up the Meals On Wheels food boxes I’d been delivering that were then scattered all over the intersection. I was not injured but he missed me by about 2 inches, smashing into my cart. We need a Pedestrian Rights bill. We need a public awareness campaign making vehicles aware that bikes and scooters are also subject to the same regulations as cars, that bikes and scooters cannot run red lights, and that no vehicles can cross the crosswalks while pedestrians have the walk sign.
Consequences firm behavior, I agree with the statement. I disagree with Brewer that the state needs to own the registration and enforcement. And yes, having seen her in some NIMBY meetings, I was unable to form a positive opinion of her.
I believe everything that is capable of moving at a certain speed should be registered. There are practices worldwide that can be looked into. As long as our society continues to disregard basic laws and common courtesy, we have to register and track moving objects.
Most people who I see every day running red lights on CPW and inside Central park are white non-electric bike riders ages 20-80. They see people cross and seem to believe that the red light isn’t for them. The only folks who stop or at least drive around pedestrians are e-bike delivery workers! I was once hit by a white 25 yo female cyclist right on the crossing when she ran the red light, in broad daylight in the downtown area.
If citibike would post the rules of the road at every station maybe the riders would ride obey them and ride safer
IMO Citibike users (pedal and e) are the most egregious in disregard of traffic rules and menacing pedestrians. Citibikers go through red lights, the wrong way, ignore bike lanes.
And not unusual for Citibike users to curse any pedestrian who objects.
Some delivery workers will stop at at red lights. And do feel sorry for them.
Many family friends neighbors have been hit by bicyclists.
But the bicycle lobby TransAlt runs things.
BTW for reference- am a bus and subway rider. Non-driver.
I ride an e-bike from time to time and am not sure why other bikers have to skip traffic lights, ride pavements or go against traffic if they are not in the bike lane. Are they confused or ignorant about the rules of the road? Another occasion (as a pedestrian)I was waiting on W 52nd Street with a friend’s toddler, and a guy comes cycling up on the pavement, asks us to step aside. I told him pavements are for walking and he said, “I don’t give a fxxk’, and pushed past on his bike, wheeling over the tips of my shoes. What’s up with the micro aggression?
It will be solved when there are consequences. It’s everywhere. As long as people can commit crimes, they will commit crimes with outrageous impunity.
I am a lifelong New Yorker and mourn the days before Bloomberg started installing the bike infrastructure, bike lanes, Citibike.
When Manhattan was great for pedestrians.
I too find Citibikers to be the most dangerous to pedestrians. And there is an upswing in tourists bicycling around though clueless about NYC – really dangerous for everyone.
BTW bicycles don’t reduce car use – bicycling siphons from bus and subway ridership
Brewer. I’m pretty sure she is part of the problem
I say get rid of the E bikes, they’re nothing but trouble and the people who drive them!
I’m afraid for the children and senior citizens and for the pet dogs walking on the sidewalks,
I’m afraid for my dog when I’m walking him at night I have to have a dog light around his neck because of the E bikes restaurant delivery people.
The E bikes have taken over the
whole pedestrian sidewalks. Especially the E bikes restaurant delivery bikers, I witness a woman with her pet dog. I was on West 79Th St., that got hit by a DoorDash restaurant delivery guy last week. Lucky I was there to ID him to the police because she was really messed up.
Thank you for your ongoing coverage of the ebike issue. Brewer is wrong in that this needs to be both a state and local issue. NYPD brass should be made to understand the need for stressing accurate accident reporting. Local precincts will take more notice if the hear the message both at the local level and from the people at 1 Police Plaza.
To me, Priscilla’s law is a no-brainer. Legislators need to pass this law ASAP. Do your job!
E-vehicles are extremely dangerous. All E-vehicles must be licensed and registered.
Riders ignore traffic lights, speed, ride on sidewalks, come up from behind when you are trying to cross the street in the cross-walk, seriously injure pedestrians and then flee and get away with it because they don’t have license plates, only care about getting to where they are going as fast as possible, regardless of the risk of injury to pedestrians, etc.
Many people are rushing to work day and night without mowing down pedestrians, so why should E-vehicle delivery riders get a pass for speeding to work?
We must vote Gale Brewer out of office, and I look forward to casting my vote against her.
I am afraid that Pablo Zevallos who is being groomed to replace her will not be any better
Quality of life in NYC has deteriorated significantly since e-bikes, scooters, etc all allowed. At first it was limited to Manhattan with insanely quick e bikes going down bike lanes despite stop lights, etc–now everyone rides ebikes and escooters on sidewalks and even in residential streets in Flushing, Queens. How can any parents with small children, or people with elderly family feel safe? Just today I was walking down the street to the subway in the Bronx where the street was shared by multiple vendors. A man on a citibike e-vehicle biked down the side walk with no care for pedestrians walking through the vendor on both sides and could have easily hit vendors, babies in strollers, etc. It’s a disease that has spread and so many people will get injured and die if no one does anything about this. And will continue to drive people out of NYC.
I agree with many who understand that putting on license plates is just a way to perhaps find the perpetrator after the damage has been done. New Yorkers walk, bus bike and subway just fine and have been getting around the city for years without these ridiculous and obviously dangerous e vehicles. Enough is enough! It’s time to ban them entirely. No regulation will stop these riders from riding in the egregious ways they have been riding over the last few years.
A friend’s sister in law was hit by an e-bike over the weekend. She was taken to the hospital and sustained major injuries. It isn’t only delivery people. Most ‘regular’ bike riders don’t stop at lights, some don’t even look to see if anyone is coming. I love to walk for miles in NYC, but being constantly aware that I need to look ‘both ways’ in the street as well as on the sidewalk is not conducive to walking. To Transportation Alternatives, what are you doing to protect pedestrians? Walking is also an alternative mode of transportation. Putting more bikes on the street without you lobbying to have the riders obey the law is putting pedestrians, who are using alternative transportation, at significant risk.
There is nothing (but money to pay lawyers) that can stop us from a City-wide, class action lawsuit against Citi-bike. They don’t have any political shield the way the gun manufacturers do. They are endangering New Yorkers by not holding their riders accountable for their behavior, and therefore are propagating the City with a defective product. If they voluntarily put large numbered plates on their bikes, they would know who rented each one at any given time.
I am absolutely terrified of the dangerous presence of speeding e-bikes and mopeds on Manhattan’s streets. Daily I dodge these motorized vehicles that recklessly charge me as I’m trying to make my way ON THE SIDEWALK. Traffic enforcement and penalties need to be applied to stop this behavior and the first step is requiring licensing and tracking of these vehicles. One of my colleagues was hit from behind by an ebike rider in a city park and the collision severed his Achilles tendon. He won’t walk for months. These injuries are gruesome and unnecessary. Please, please do something before so many more innocent people are injured or killed. I also urge the police to ticket and suspend the licenses of the people I see riding motorcycles in the bike lane.
I was hit by an E-Bike running a red light. Rushed to the ER, concussed and now may need hip surgery. These bikes MUST be regulated.
As a dog owner who crosses Riverside Dr. multiple times a day taking my two small dogs to the park, I am constantly checking for bikes, e-bikes and scooters. I can’t even count how many times I’ve had to stop in the middle of the street or wait to start crossing because riders blow through the crosswalk even though I have the walk light. Two weeks ago, we were nearly creamed by a woman riding her e-bike the wrong way down 78th St toward Riverside Drive, who crossed the crosswalk and blew into the park without so much as a glance in our direction. Had I not spotted her in time, either me or my dogs would have been hit. License plates are a start, but we also need signage reminding cyclists that pedestrians have the right of way and a media blitz. Also, I’ve had more issues with regular cyclists/e-bike riders than delivery bikers, who seem more inclined to stop at red lights and to yield right of way.
Gale Brewer would not commit to licensing and registering the tens of thousands of ebikes and citibike ebikes despite the fact that they are capable of going the state speed limit of all vehicles on the streets. As long as City Council cowers to the food app industrial complex and Lyft that rules NYC, accidents, injuries and deaths from these motorcycles (that’s what they are), this won’t stop for decades
I also like to add that I mentioned a lot of these things for this post and I’m disappointed it didn’t make it on here. Well it’s here now.