Some New E-Bike Regs Introduced, but Menin Drops Registration Regs

With more than 500 city-wide E-bike collisions reported this year, the push for tougher laws and regulations took some small steps forward

The Council’s push for stricter regulation has been complicated by Council Speaker Julie Menin’s recent retreat from E-bike registration, just days after she called for a comprehensive review of E-bike safety.

Earlier in August, Menin was active in the push for legal enforcement of speeding E-bikes and registration. In a press conference on August 4, she called for a “comprehensive legislative review” of E-bike safety and concerns. She endorsed Priscilla’s Law, now in committee in New York Senate bill, S2599, which would require E-bikes and electric scooters to be registered with the Department of Motor Vehicles and to display license plates in cities with populations over 1 million. It is currently in the Senate Transportation Committee. The bill is named after Priscilla Loke, a 69-year-old preschool teacher who was killed by an E-bike rider in Chinatown in September 2003.

The bill is being stalled in committee in Albany. However, a version of the anticipated E-bike requirements is being exemplified in New Jersey, where as of June 26, all E-bikes must be registered with the New Jersey Motor Vehicle Commission. Under the tough laws enacted in New Jersey, all riders must have an E-bike license or valid driver’s license, low-speed E-bikes require registration though not insurance, and higher-powered motorized bicycles require additional insurance requirements.

As of August 14, Menin is backing away from the push for E-bike registration in the city with some speculating that the Council Speaker is softening her approach to the legislation due to a staggering $170,000 in support for her reelection by PACs which are funded by DoorDash and Uber, two of the biggest utlizers of fleets of deliveristas.

The Council Speaker denied any claims of relevance between the expenditures and her pulling away from the bills.

Council Members Gale Brewer and Lynn Schulman have sponsored bills calling for stricter regulation of E-bikes used for delivery companies and apps. The Mamdani administration has disagreed with the philosophy of the bill, not supporting mandatory registration and instead focusing on delivery-worker safety. He recently targeted illegal devices on streets by sending cease and desist notices to more than 40 online retailers who were selling the types of high-speed e-bikes that are banned in the city.

District 4 Council Member Virginia Maloney, whose district stretches from Stuyvesant Town through parts of the upper east side to East 96th Street introduced legislation to improve e-bike safety on streets as of August 14, with her “Look Up” initiative across the city’s 5 boroughs. She wants the Department of Transportation to put up 500 signs at intersections or street corners with the slogan, “Look Up,” as a way of reminding pedestrians to check street traffic before crossing into potential danger. These reminders will be placed on at least 500 intersections throughout the city, with at least 50 in each borough and 200 adjacent to schools.

Additionally, DOT will incorporate educational initiatives in public schools regarding street safety.

The city council has yet to hold a comprehensive oversight hearing on the safety and registration of E-vehicles which is scheduled for September 30 with the NYPD, the Department of Transportation and the