Elected officials in New York City announced a sweeping set of bills on Tuesday aimed at going after illegal e-bikes, including those that go 30, 40, or even 50 miles per hour.
The current legal speed limit for e-bikes is 15 miles per hour. The proposals come after a series of fatal crashes, including last week’s incident — the death of a 17-year-old boy who, according to police, was riding an illegal e-bike when it collided with an SUV near City Hall.
Family members of a woman who was hit and injured by an e-bike while running in Central Park last month were also at Tuesday’s news conference.
“My sister was healthy, 43-year-old, jogging in the park, twice a day sometimes, and now she’s been in a hospital bed for, going on four weeks, doesn’t really remember her name most of the time or who we are, has to have several operations, it’s going to be a long road, very hard,” said Jessica Selano when speaking about her sister, who was identified by her first name, Jean.
Lawmakers said their plan includes 17 bills. Some are currently being drafted, while others have already been introduced, including ones that would ban the sale of some faster e-bikes that are currently legal, require delivery companies to register for commercial licenses, and force those companies to share more data about drivers’ trips.
Council Speaker Julie Menin said e-bike collisions are up over 30% this year compared to last year.
“In 2026 alone, there have already been over 500 collisions involving e-bikes,” she said. “We cannot go on like this; we cannot wait again for tragedy to strike to become advocates for public safety.”
Charlie Baker, a spokesperson for the safe-streets advocacy group Transportation Alternatives, believes a safe speed limit for e-bikes is no more than 20 miles per hour, and there needs to be stronger regulation of the food delivery industry.
“These deliveristas, they’re essential workers and right now — they’re being exploited by these companies,” he said. “The faster a delivery worker goes, the more deliveries they can make, and that means the more profit the company makes. Now, that may be a great deal for their shareholders and their CEOs over in Silicon Valley, but that’s a rotten deal for us here in New York City. That puts their delivery workers and every other New Yorker on our streets at risk, so it’s time to regulate these companies.”
Amazon is also now restricting the sale of certain e-bike models following the crash that killed the teen near City Hall. Attorney General Letitia James put out a consumer alert, so anyone trying to purchase the e-bike model on Amazon will be told they cannot be shipped to the city.
The City Council is holding a hearing on Sept. 30 about the enforcement of existing laws. The Department of Transportation, the NYPD and the Department of Consumer and Worker Protection are all expected to give testimony.