A safer city on two wheels: a common-sense e-bike policy for New York

“New York is the only city in the world where you can get run down on the sidewalk by a pedestrian.”

― Russell Baker

 

Executive Summary

When it comes to reducing emissions and congestion and making city travel more convenient, e-bikes are an innovation.  But with their speed and weight, e-bikes are essentially motorcycles. They need to be regulated.  New Yorkers didn’t sign up for untrained delivery drivers flying down sidewalks or chaos on our streets. Pedestrians have been mowed down, and unsafe riding has caused death, brain injuries and broken bones. My policy is about restoring safety and common sense to e-bikes by requiring delivery and commercial drivers to have licenses and wear helmets, and by requiring their employers to train and be responsible for those they hire.

Accountability Starts at the Top

We’re done blaming only the untrained delivery workers. The businesses hiring riders to deliver food via e-bike – Uber Eats, DoorDash, Grubhub and restaurants— need to ensure they drive safely.

When I am Mayor, employers will be on the hook for their drivers’ behavior. For starters, restaurants will need a delivery-service license, just like Uber Eats and others. Employers’ licensing application will require them to train their e-bike delivery drivers on traffic laws and safety, have e-bike maintenance schedules and provide proof of insurance.

If an e-bike-delivery driver breaks the rules, that’s the employers’ problem too. We will hold them accountable if their drivers break the rules, just like any other industry, with fines. And those fines will increase with repeated lapses. If an e-bike driver has too many violations, the City will suspend the employer’s license.

Driver Accountability Too

Accountability on our streets cannot just fall on car and truck drivers. We must hold e-bike and micro-mobility drivers to a real standard of responsibility — because every New Yorker deserves safe sidewalks, bike lanes, and roads. That’s why I’m calling for a Commercial E-Bike License requirement for all delivery and commercial e-bike drivers to ensure that those driving on our streets are doing it safely and legally. In New York state, every driver is eligible for a license, regardless of immigration status.

I will make license plates mandatory for all commercial e-bikes and scooters. Without plates, reckless drivers operate anonymously and dangerously. Plates mean accountability.

We’ll back this up with camera enforcement — just as we do for cars. Run red lights? Blow through pedestrian zones?  Ride the wrong way on streets? Cameras will catch it. Tickets will follow.

And we won’t stop there. We will implement a three-strike rule: Three serious violations in a year? Your license will be suspended or revoked, depending on the severity of the violation—just like car drivers.

Seizure of bikes for repeat reckless behavior.

Reckless e-bike drivers, whether commercial or recreational, risk having their bikes seized. Threatening pedestrians, riding on sidewalks, or weaponizing bikes will all risk impoundment. We are building a city where everyone shares the streets fairly and safely.

Helmet Requirements for all E-Bikes

E-bikes move faster, weigh more and pose greater risks than traditional bicycles. Yet, under the current rules, thousands of e-bike drivers— including those operating powerful Class 2 and Class 3 models —are allowed to tear through our streets and bike lanes without head protection.  This threatens their safety and that of the pedestrians, drivers, and cyclists around them. If you ride an e-bike in New York City, you wear a helmet — just like motorcycle riders must wear helmets. Simple, life-saving common sense.

Right now in New York City, only Class 1 e-bike drivers are required to wear helmets.  That is illogical.  This rule is about saving lives, not punishing riders.

Better protecting e-bike drivers too

New York City streets pose hazards for e-bike drivers, pedestrians and cars. We will develop a City-wide app that will offer live alerts for potholes, crash zones, and road closures. The app can also be used to track thefts tracking and anti-tamper alerts.

The Bottom Line

We love e-bikes, but can’t permit chaos. This is about building a New York where pedestrians don’t have to jump out of the way to traverse the sidewalks or cross the street.

New Yorkers deserve real leadership, not more excuses. We can fix this. We will fix this. And we will do it by putting people ahead of politics.

Jim Walden, Candidate for Mayor