You no longer have to be behind the wheel to get a speeding ticket in New York City. A city-enforced 15 mph speed limit for e-bikes went into effect Friday.
Citi Bike customers have already been under a 15 mph speed limit since the company lowered its speed limit in June, but delivery drivers and riders with their own personal e-bikes will now have to watch their speed — which can be hard to do without a speedometer, in many cases.
The new 15 mph speed limit applies to all e-bikes, e-scooters and pedal-assist commercial bicycles, according to City Hall.
“Under our administration, New York City is leading the nation in keeping our streets safe for pedestrians, cyclists, and drivers alike, and I am proud that our work has led to traffic fatalities dropping to some of the lowest levels in New York City history,” Mayor Eric Adams said in a statement Friday. “Our administration has always been one that listens to communities and takes action based on those needs, and, time and again, we have heard New Yorkers from across the five boroughs share their concerns about e-bikes speeding recklessly through our streets. Today, I am thrilled to be delivering for communities across our city by lowering the speed limit for e-bikes to 15 MPH.”
How will the e-bike speed limit be enforced?
The NYPD will handle enforcement, as it does for vehicles. CBS News New York is working to learn exactly how it plans to do that, and whether the existing speed cameras will be able to do the same job for a different mode of transportation and different speed limit.
The mayor’s statement went on to say the focus will be “on education first and enforcement second,” including installing new signs, informing delivery app workers of the change and issuing warnings to first time offenders.
“To be clear, this isn’t about criminalization; it’s about creating safer, fairer conditions for all New Yorkers,” Adams’ statement continued.
The New York City Vehicle Safety Alliance says the new speed limit will save lives, but enforcement is key.
“If there’s no consequence, then behavior doesn’t change, because consequence shapes behavior. So if there is a license plate that can catch someone going above 15 mph or, even worse, leaving the scene of a crash, that’s why we need license plates to enforce laws like 15 mph, don’t ride on the sidewalk, don’t fly through red lights,” said NYC Vehicle Safety Alliance President Janet Schroeder.
The delivery company DoorDash said it supports the new legislation and that it worked with the Adams administration on implementation.