As the New York City Council moves to consider a suite of bills aimed at making e-bikes and e-scooters safer, Mayor Zohran Mamdani said his priority is to crackdown on vehicles that are already classified as illegal.\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cMy first focus frankly is that which is already illegal. How to ensure that no customer is duped into believing that (an illegal e-bike)\u00a0 is an appropriate way to be moving around the city,\u201d he told reporters at an unrelated press conference on Tuesday when asked whether there were any currently legal models he thinks should be illegal. \u201cIt is hard for New Yorkers to keep up with what is legal or illegal if they\u2019re able to buy it online.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
His comments came as City Council Speaker Julie Menin announced that the legislative body would launch a sweeping review<\/a> of how the city can better govern the use of e-bikes and e-scooters following a string of serious crashes, several of which resulted in deaths.<\/a> Many of the 17 bills that Menin said would be part of the review are in line with Mamdani\u2019s position to focus on the already illegal vehicles. One bill would introduce a trade-in program for riders to swap illegal models with safer ones, another would require delivery companies to register for commercial licenses \u2013 thus providing the city with stronger oversight and enforcement tools \u2013 and another would establish a task force to study how to make street infrastructure safer.<\/p>\n At least one measure<\/a>, however, would explicitly prohibit the sale and rental of class three e-bikes, also known as pedal-assist bicycles, which are currently legal in the city.\u00a0<\/a><\/p>\n As for the rest of the package, which will be heard at a Sept. 30 hearing, Mamdani said he\u2019d wait to see the specifics of the proposals before taking a stance. \u201cIt is critically important that safety is something that each and every New York has, no matter what mode of transportation they use,\u201d he said. \u201cThat continues to be a focus for us.\u201d<\/p>\n