Electric Scooters and Bikes, Still Illegal in NY

A bill legalizing electric bikes and scooters in New York was passed in June. Despite overwhelming support for the bill, the lack of safety requirements pushed the state’s governor Andrew Cuomo to decline it.

New York delivery services will continue to be at risk of arrest since most workers use e-bikes to get around. Fines, confiscations, and NYPD enforcement can take up to $500 off them.

Legalizing e-vehicles would have given cities control over the modes of transportations. Local governments in the state would gain leverage to regulate their own shared e-vehicles.

The veto was a “missed opportunity,” according to Queens Assemblywoman Nily Rozic. The bill would have brought safe, viable options for delivery workers around New York City.

One of the affected companies, Lime, said the news was disappointing. However, the senior government relations director Phil Jones said he’s confident that the state’s administration will work to improve mobility.

A Bird spokesperson said New Yorkers are ready to embrace electric scooters as an environment-friendly, inexpensive transportation. The service said they’re encouraged by support from the legislature and the environmental community.

Against earlier protests, NY City Mayor Bill de Blasio came forth with support of the bill last August. One of his spokespersons said the bill showed commonsense legislation.

Safety was everyone’s priority, and Blasio’s office was looking forward to working with legislators and communities to develop the law.

The E-Vehicle Debacle

In June, Mayor Bill de Blasio said he wouldn’t allow e-bikes and e-scooters to ride alongside pedal-assist e-vehicles. Pedal-assist e-vehicles can reach 20 m/h while electric scooters and bikes were supposed to have a 25 m/h limit.

Cuomo asked when a bike with an engine should be registered as a motor vehicle. E-bikes were fresh out the market, opening “a broader conversation.”

Marco Connor of Transportation Alternatives claimed there was underlying racism behind the worry. NYPD data detailed only nine pedestrians injured in 2018 compared to 11,000 by trucks and cars.

Some sources said he was accepting of the bill until Sen. Jessica Ramos of D-Queens criticized the governor. Reports emerged that he was pushing to double the threshold for minor political parties in New York.

Ramos, backed by the state’s Working Families Party, said she suspected the governor wasn’t interested in majority Democrats.

The distaste that came after the statement gave away signs of politics getting in the way of the decision.

New York on Electric Transportation

Researchers say New York City could be a natural habitat for electric transportation services.

Millions of its residents take the public transit system every day, but 24% of the subway stations are inaccessible. In addition to that, most delivery workers operate on throttle-powered vehicles, most of them immigrants.

Approving the bill would include a pilot program similar to San Francisco’s and Chicago’s. San Francisco only allowed two companies to operate in the city, while Chicago gave ten e-scooter permits city-wide.

Bird predicted that its electric scooter service wouldn’t be allowed in New York until spring 2020. Although there was a long way to go for sustainable transportation there, approving the bill would have been progress.