<\/p>\n The move marks a decisive break from the previous administration\u2019s approach, which saw riders facing criminal charges for minor infractions like rolling through stop signs.<\/p>\n Article continues below <\/p>\n You may like<\/p>\n Under Mayor Eric Adams\u2019 administration, cyclists could face criminal court summonses and the risk of arrest for failing to appear. These rather severe penalties were applied to no other road users.<\/p>\n Ben Furnas of Transportation Alternatives said the practice was a “wrongheaded and bizarre targeting of New Yorkers on bikes.”<\/p>\n The new policy eliminates that level of criminalisation and evens out the penalties among road users.<\/p>\n “Every New Yorker on our roads, whether driving or biking, deserves to be treated fairly,\u201d Mamdani said, adding that the change “ensur[es] cyclists and e-bike riders\u2026are treated like others on the road,” while maintaining accountability through civil enforcement.<\/p>\n The shift has been widely welcomed by street safety and cycling advocates, many of whom have long argued that criminal enforcement unfairly singled out bike riders while failing to improve safety.<\/p>\n “We\u2019re thrilled that Mayor Mamdani is directing the NYPD to reverse the discriminatory practice,” said Eric McClure, Executive Director, StreetsPAC. “Criminally charging someone riding a bike for an infraction for which the driver of a 400-horsepower, three-ton SUV only receives a traffic ticket makes no sense and does nothing to improve safety, and we\u2019re grateful that City Hall is righting that wrong.”<\/p>\n The announcement comes just months after Mamdani\u2019s election victory<\/a>, in which he secured more than one million votes on a platform that included transport reform and safer streets.<\/p>\n What to read next<\/p>\n Cycling featured heavily in his campaign, both symbolically and politically. He now inherits a city where bike use is booming, but where infrastructure expansion and safety improvements have stalled.<\/p>\n This latest policy signals a shift in tone: away from punitive enforcement and toward systemic reform.<\/p>\n Tackling the root causes of unsafe riding<\/p>\n \n (Image credit: Getty Images)<\/p>\n![\"Bikes](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/03\/EKRUpcwrVhxNudpjDMUFLU.jpg\")
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