By Claire Davenport
For his annual constituent town hall meeting Sunday, State Senator Brad Hoylman-Sigal was joined by a phalanx of city Democrats: Manhattan District Attorney Alvin Bragg, Comptroller (and mayoral hopeful) Brad Lander, and City Councilmember Gale Brewer. But while the politicians spoke on a wide range of issues, including gun safety and affordable housing, the main thing on voters’ minds was what the city and state intend to do to protect pedestrians from collisions with e-bikes.
“If you’re on a bike, you gotta stop for the red light. Can you imagine if all the cars went through red lights?” asked one man during the Q&A portion of the event, held at the American Museum of Natural History. “When you ride a Citi Bike or any other bike, you need to obey our laws. Don’t come into our city trying to kill us,” he said, to applause from the crowd of about 200.
“I’m sure we’ll hear similar things from more than just you,” replied Hoylman-Sigal, in what was something of an understatement, given how many in the audience wanted to speak to the issue.
Hoylman-Sigal represents the 47th district of New York, a section of Manhattan’s West Side that runs from Christopher Street to West 103rd Street, or as Hoylman-Sigal put it, “from the gay bars to Zabar’s.” His annual town hall came as residents of many neighborhoods, including the Upper West Side, are pressing the city and state for more e-bike regulation.
Hoylman-Sigal was actually the first to bring up the subject, to some audible groans from the crowd. When attendees spoke, they raised a laundry list of complaints about e-bike riders: they run red lights, they ride on sidewalks, and they generally leave pedestrians feeling threatened with harm.
A New York Times article, citing data from the city’s Department of Transportation, shows that of the 102 pedestrians who died in traffic in 2023, two were hit by e-bikes; the rest died in accidents with motor vehicles, and the majority of people who die in e-bike-related incidents are the bike riders.
But many attending the town hall told personal stories that they said reveal dangers going beyond the data.
“The bike goes the wrong way in traffic. The problem is getting worse, and the police seem not to be doing anything,” one constituent wrote, in a comment read by Hoylman-Sigal.
“I rode a bike here. And I do follow the laws,” a person at the town hall said. But others do not follow the laws, said the speaker, and “The elephant in the room is that the NYPD is not enforcing them.”
A man who identified himself as Michael asked Hoylman-Sigal and Brewer why they hadn’t supported Priscilla’s Law, a proposal from Queens City Councilmember Robert Holden that would require all e-bikes to be registered and have license plates. “I’ve heard about Priscilla’s Law,” said Hoylman-Sigal. “Happy to look at the councilmember’s bill to see if our bill doesn’t include what he wants to accomplish. But I’ve heard of it.”
The senator’s bill, requiring point-of-sale registration of mopeds (but not e-bikes), was part of an eight-bill package Governor Kathy Hochul signed into law in July that included new industry standards for lithium-ion batteries and mechanisms for tracking e-bike collision data. Addressing the fact that the new point-of-sale state registration requirement doesn’t apply to e-bikes, Hoylman-Sigal told the Rag after the town hall that, ideally, commercial-use e-bikes would come next for a registration requirement, something he has proposed in the state legislature. “That’s because we’re taking a gradual approach. It’s difficult to introduce a whole new regime,” he said.
One of the town hall’s cohosts was the American Jewish Committee, whose representative, Marisa Bearak, brought up a rise in incidents of antisemitism in and around New York City.
“We’re seeing a deepening political polarization across the United States and a rise in [antisemitic] conspiracy theories,” Bearak said, citing specific attacks and the growing popularity of antisemitic ideologies such as the Great Replacement theory. Hoylman-Sigal cited the attack earlier this year on an Upper West Side Israeli café.
But the topic the town hall returned to over and over again was e-bike regulation.
“We need to know who’s driving on our streets to be able to hold folks accountable for bad driving,” said Danielle Mindess, project director at the Midtown Community Justice Center, who cited findings from a recent symposium on e-bike regulation and micromobility safety. Among the solutions Mindess said would alleviate danger: installing protected bike lanes, increasing visibility around intersections, and holding delivery app companies accountable for the pressure they put on drivers, who use e-bikes for work, to prioritize speed over safety.
“When delivery workers fail to pick up an order on time or deliver an order on time, they can be deactivated, which is essentially just to be fired from their job. And so that incentivizes people to drive badly and for us to see unsafe conditions on our streets,” she said.
Upper West Sider Robert Koechel said he felt that the need for e-bike delivery drivers to make a living shouldn’t preclude their bikes from being registered and licensed. “People earn a living driving a cab. They’re licensed and insured,” he said. “Everyone should be able to make a living, balanced with public safety.”
After the town hall ended, Koechel, who said he is a bike rider, told the Rag: “I feel like e-bikes aren’t even the right term anymore. The ones with throttles are like gas motorbikes.” Still, Koechel said he had sympathy for politicians grappling with the safety issue. “The technology has changed so much,” he said. “Just like with social media regulation, with the e-bikes, our government is still trying to catch up.”
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Does anyone think the NYPD can be persuaded to take action against the reckless e-bikers?
Before this week I would have said yes, set them up to ticket cyclists who break traffic laws; great source of revenue for the city, and cracks down on a real quality of life issue for New Yorkers. But if fining a fare beater in Brownsville can turn into a mass shooting with two civilians and another officer shot, I am reluctant to say the police should be involved in anything at all without some serious corruption reforms and psych tests for who gets to carry a gun. And what are the odds of that happening?
Statements/questions like this keep popping up in all of the chats around e-bikes. What would you like the NYPD to do? Think about the last time. you crossed the street and an e-biker either went through the light or was going the wrong way. Was there a cop there to enforce the law? It’s almost like we are expecting a police officer on every corner cracking down on e-bikes (or any other traffic violator). Now, to be fair, I have seen police officers take no action when an e-biker goes through a light, etc. so I am not living in a fairy tale world either. But, there aren’t enough cops to crack down on all of these violators.
Also, when politicians don’t want to crack down how can we expect the cops to do the same. It’s no different than when city hall/the DAs office comes out and says that they don’t want to crack down on quality of life crimes. What do you think the police do — the laws still exist but they aren’t going to arrest anyone for a quality of life crime if there is no expectation of prosecution.
To me this is a top down issue. You want to crack down on E-bikers then the politicians need to be screaming for the same thing then the police will have no choice but to act.
“It’s no different than when city hall/the DAs office comes out and says that they don’t want to crack down on quality of life crimes. ”
Is this still going on?
Not under this mayor. NYPD needs a complete culture change.
As they used to say on The Wire, “they’re juking the stats”. It is a sad commentary that our representatives are trying to sell us on the idea that fatalities are the only E-bike stat that matters. Injuries matter. Close calls matter. Having to be in 24/7 “defensive walking” mode is not okay.
The city licenses pretty much everything else to death. Why won’t the regulate what is an obvious public safety hazard.
Bloomberg and Kelly used to do it too, but the folks complaining about the streets today were placated back then. So what changed?
The urbanists cannot hide from the e-bikes issue anymore. They dropped the ball and the mask they have been wearing for decades is off. The reason why they deflect to cars is because they fear that if they lose the battle on e bikes, their whole anti car crusade is toast.
I just saw a guy push his Citi bike into Trader Joe’s. At least he wasn’t riding it. Yeesh.
We don’t even have stats showing hiw many people are injured by e- Bikes. Because of someone is and you call 911 an ambulance will come but the NYPD does not. I get that there is nothing they can do because there is no liscence plate with which to identify the bike that hit the pedestrian but how can anyone claim we are safe because there were “only 2 fatalities”
“A New York Times article, citing data from the city’s Department of Transportation, shows that of the 102 pedestrians who died in traffic in 2023, two were hit by e-bikes; the rest died in accidents with motor vehicles, and the majority of people who die in e-bike-related incidents are the bike riders.”
So e-bike drivers are responsible for 2% of pedestrian deaths caused by vehicles in NYC last year. (At least according to the City, which probably isn’t honestly recording the deaths caused by e-bike drivers.)
But e-bikes make up nowhere near 2% of motor vehicles in use in NYC, Nor do they travel anywhere near as far, per day of use, as the average car/truck, and e-bikes simply don’t have the momentum of cars — even when going the same speed — hence they can’t do, by average, as much damage to a pedestrian.
That’s a staggeringly high percent of deaths from machines that don’t approach the injury death capacity of cars/trucks. Therefore that 2% number is in fact a huge argument for banning e-bikes completely. No, not simply regulating them.
That is ridiculous. Cars kill and maim pedestrians with clocklike regularity. But drivers are almost never held accountable. When our kids go out alone, we worry that they will be hit by a car or truck. We just accept this because it’s always been this way. The e-bikes are new. So, everyone is freaking out. But you’re being irrational. You are allowing the novelty of the e-bikes to distract you from the real problem, the problem that is old, the problem we have unforgivably accepted for a century. What we need is enforcement on cars and trucks. We need truck drivers to stop rushing around corners like maniacs trying to make their deliveries. We need the police to enforce the law and we need tougher laws for motor vehicle operators. That’s how we make our streets safe.
Agree, as a dad with young kids, I’m much more worried about reckless car drivers than the (mostly courteous) bike riders we come across. As always, there’s a small but noisy contingent that over reacts to change.
UWS Dad,
I’m a parent also and a lifelong New Yorker (not a suburban transplant) who does not drive.
I am definitely concerned about bicyclists – especially Citibike.
There are so many bicyclists now and most ignore traffic rules and endanger pedestrians.
Yes vehicles are inherently more dangerous but most drivers obey the law.
I know a few people who’ve been hit by cars – luckily not serious injuries.
But I know many more people who’ve been hit by bicycles (including other bicyclists) and some really serious injuries.
And there are many more cars/trucks, all of which have more kinetic energy in motion, + by averages they are driven more miles per month within NYC than e-bikes.
Vote all of these “do nothing” politicians out of office. Constituents have been very vocal for a long time now about the threat of e-bikes to public safety and quality life. Yet they continue to do nothing.
better yet, tell them TODAY, that if they don’t act, they are out of a job. Lets not wait to election day.
How are you going to get politicians out of office before election day – or before the new terms begin?
tell them now that they will voted out next time they run again…unless they do something between now and their next election
The NYC E-Vehicle Safety Alliance is holding a Town Hall Tuesday Sept 24th at 7pm at St Paul and St Andrew, 263 West 86th Street.
This Town Hall will feature victims of micromobility crashes and elected officials that actually support our agenda for e-bike accountability! They include AMs Seawright. Rajkumar, and Bores. Most importantly, we will discuss how to hold the elected officials that refuse to represent our interests accountable! We are DONE with the excuses, diversions, half-measures! It is time to reclaim our streets and sidewalks and get this under control. Please attend this Town Hall if you agree and are ready for action!
More info is available on our website nycevsa.org or email us at NYC-EVSA@outlook.com
On a daily basis, see near hits by bicyclists.
Citibike users are the most egregious.
They routinely go through red lights, go the wrong way, ignore bike lanes. And Citibike users won’t hesitate to curse any pedestrian who objects.
Food delivery workers are exploited. But some do stop at red lights. And some apologize if a pedestrian objects.
Also worth noting that City DOT basically caters to the bike lobby Transportation /Alternatives Open Plans.
Not just the bike lane infrastructure.
City DOT also spends a lot of money promoting and encouraging bicycle use, Citibike.
Except for the platitude “use mass transit” City DOT does not message to encourage bus and subway use. In fact, City DOT hurts bus riders by implementing Open Streets where there are bus routes.
Let’s say it again so those in the back can hear….
102 pedestrians killed last year in motor accidents
2 of those were by e-bikes
100 were killed by cars
I agree that e-bikes should obey all laws, stay out of the parks and that we need enforcement. But let’s not lose sight that CARS cause 98% of the pedestrian deaths on nyc streets.
e-bikes badly INJURE people. leaving them with immobile, with walkers, and pain for months if not years. And in debt! What’s not to like?
It doesn’t have to be an either/or proposition. Two things can be true at once — Yes, there are many more pedestrian fatalities involving cars and trucks AND e-bikes are a major problem causing pedestrian injuries that must be addressed. I am not saying this is your response, but all to often the reaction and/or response from people has become “don’t worry about e-bikes because cars are more dangerous.” In my opinion, that is simply not an acceptable response.
E-bike enforcement is a problem better solved with technology. e.g. – Cameras, licenses, etc.
Police enforcement and presence on the street is another (big) problem all the together.
NYC E VEHICLE SAFETY ALLIANCE has a TOWN HALL MEETING on TUE 9/24 at 7PM at St.Paul & St Andrew Church 263 W 86th Street.
We have the voices of victims ( pedestrians and cyclists) and ER doctors, Hear THEM
speak! Legislators who support regulation for E Vehicles and press will also be there!
Join us! We are the group that is getting critical legislation written and two ot those bills have already passed.
http://www.nycevsa.org
Not a surprise to know that e-vehicle safety is the number one issue for UWS . You’d think someone like me who was hit 2 Years ago already … has lost her career as a cellist, struggles to do most daily tasks properly including walking would have influenced Brad and Gale. They both know my story well. And still are paid off by lobbyists.
Bob Holdens bill now named Priscilla’s Law was introduced a year and 1/2 ago. Brad and Gale are also well aware of it. Priscilla died, Lisa Banes died, and 95 other victims of EVSA have been seriously physically and mentally injured.
Come to our EVSA Town Hall next Tuesday Sept. 24, 7pm at St Paul and St Andrew’s United Methodist Church. 263 W86th. Here you will hear horrific stories of crashes, survival and repeated calls for change. Join us for that change. http://www.nycevsa.org
Priscilla’s Law for registration of all e vehicles -Intro 0606-2024 ( city bill) and A9114 ( state bill) is NOT for driver’s licenses, as was stated at the Town Hall on Sunday. It is for visible license PLATES for ALL e vehicles. This is the best solution forholding e vehicle riders accountable. Consequence shapes behavior. Right now there is no reason to change egregious riding behavior because there is NO consequence.
95% of riders flee crash scenes. Plates are absolutely crucial . Dr Mascia, ER Dr at St Barnabas Hospital in Bronx, was with us when our victims of e vehicle violence met with Mayor Adams last week. Dr Mascia stated “ e vehicles have caused a PUBLIC HEALTH CRISIS ,which is getting worse over time”.
Accountability will save lives of pedestrians, cyclists and e vehicle riders. Safety for all!
http://www.nycevsa.org.
Join Us!!
EVSA Town Hall Meeting
Tue Sept 24 7pm
St Paul & St Andrew Church
263 w 86th street
It’s misleading to focus on e-bike deaths. Death is not the main issue, it’s injury. And many injuries from e-bike negligence don’t show up in data, like my husband’s fractured rib and injured hand.
With no licensing and no way to track down the e-bike that caused his fall, no police report was filed. It would have been a waste of everyone’s time. We need a way to hold these cyclists accountable.
My own un-powered bicycle has sat unused for 2 years now because I’m afraid to ride among the e-bike chaos.
Yes. And that is another issue … the e-bikes have co-opted the bike lanes that were built with TAX money for PEDAL bike riders ONLY. The entire system needs to be revamped and starting with license plates and registration NOW.
I think there is something unspoken amongst the politicians when it comes to the issue of e-bike regulation and I am not passing any opinion on it. Many e-bike users are immigrant/migrant workers making deliveries across the City (and may be one of the few jobs available to these workers). If e-bikes are going to be regulated and violators cracked down upon, the burden will fall on these migrant/immigrant workers and I think our politicians don’t want to touch that at all — how can they preach being a sanctuary city and yet, we are taking e-bikes away from workers who can’t get any other job. Food for thought….
The burden should fall on the employers — which are the apps and the restaurants and department stores and chain stores. No sympathy for someone who can’t learn and follow the law. They work. If they hit you, you can no longer work. I am my sole means of support. I walk or ride public transportation ONLY. What happens to 68-year-old me if I am hit? The politicians better start thinking about THAT!
I am not at all surprised that at Brad Hoylman’s Town Hall the #1 issue was the danger and lawlessness of e-bikes to our pedestrians, children, seniors and the disabled. And this is certainly not a new issue for Hoylman who met with nyc-EVSA over a year ago in a public forum. And yet many injuries later he has really done very little to address this issue. Does the public just accept that their elected leaders are working on behalf of someone other than their constituents?
In my lifetime in NYC I have never seen an issue that was as so universal, so disturbing and dangerous ignored by our City Council, our Assembly members, and our Mayor. It’s really a dereliction of duty. The Mayor recently said that he supports Bob Holden’s Bill-Priscilla’s Law! That’s after the hardwork and persistence of nyc-EVSA.
I encourage all here to attend the Town Hall by nyc-EVSA on 9/24 at 7pm! Work for change and to PASS Priscilla’s Law and make certain that ALL e-bikes are licensed and registered asap!! Every vehicle going 25mph and more must be licensed and subject to the traffic laws!
Nice to see that the metric is whether you die or not. How about some data on pedestrian injuries and the stress of feeling under constant threat whenever you take a walk?
You said it. I have never been killed by an E-Bike or a City Bike (not yet)– But their aggressive and lawless takeover of the sidewalks, park paths and crosswalks has devastated the quality of life on the UWS. You can’t walk down the street in peace without girding yourself.
As I stated in my essay published in the Rag, “However, if it’s powered by anything other than the driver it needs to be registered.”
Aren’t immigrants supposed to follow laws? If they are placed at risk by doing their jobs then pass laws to protect them? Laws need to matter. Safety for all workers should be a human right.
This hysteria over e-bikes is so crazy given the carnage and life-shortening pollution caused by motor vehicles. It’s like people complaining about the common cold at the height of the Covid pandemic. Sure, a lot of riders (including me) technically break traffic laws, which were written for multi-ton vehicles, not bikes. Those laws should be adjusted to take account of this new reality on our streets, but what should be zealously enforced is failure to yield to pedestrians. You’ll never get cyclists to robotically stop at every red light no matter the circumstances, but cyclists yielding to pedestrians is what everyone wants. There is such a thing as “good enough.”
I’m shocked after reading a couple of comments who say most e-vehicle riders do follow the laws. What are you talking about upper west side dad?? I also raised 3 kids here and I am scared to death for my now 3 grown children and all children of all ages. Where are you walking? Everyday I come close to being hit again. I see all kinds of pedestrians of all ages having to stop look and wait for e bikers traveling against all laws. I’m not saying pedestrians are perfect but they can’t kill or permanently cripple someone as I am permanently crippled now!! How heartless for anyone to dispute this with victims of e vehicle crashes!!
As I read this I’m sitting on my UWS couch nursing multiple scrapes and contusions after being clipped by a delivery bike and going down this afternoon. I’m sure he wouldn’t have even stopped if I hadn’t yelled at him. I appreciate that he came back, and I really, really appreciate the bystanders who helped me out. But if you’re gonna ride an illegal ebike, maybe KEEP YOUR EYES ON THE ROAD and not your phone! Manhattan is a grid-you shouldn’t need directions to figure out that 92nd st is 4 blocks past 88th.
E bikes in Barcelona have license plates. Those e bikes like our Citi bikes have license plates.
Simple effective solution
BAN all e-bikes
With a co-worker recently.
It was a green light and a car (Uber/TLC plates) was making a turn.
The car – properly – stopped as pedestrians crossed.
Out of nowhere, a guy on Citibike whizzed by and turned – and grazed a pedestrian.
(The car was still stopped for pedestrians).
Citibike guy stopped for a minute, said “sorry” then left.
Fortunately it appeared the pedestrian was not seriously injured.
This is not an uncommon situation.
I have been an UWSer for decades. I jogged and walked in Central Park for years. Now I am only walking. I have never seen bikers behaving in the insolent way they do now disregarding red lights, going against the traffic on one way roads and on pedestrian paths, never slowing down for people walking or crossing. There were many times when I avoided an injury by pure luck , when a bike missed me by an inch. My husband was knocked down by a biker gong against the tragic on a one way street near Lincoln Center. So, of course, he did not look in the direction the bike was coming from. The biker waited for my husband to get up and continued on his way. It has become a component occurrence.
I understand we cannot have police presence on every corner, but at least if a few show up in Central Park and fine a few violators, the word of mouth will spread and will be a deterrent, I am sure. Ignoring the problem is certainly not gong to cause it go away.
This entire horrific bike mess has been building with no move by my our officials
These migrants. and their bikes are out of
control don’t speak English unable to
talk with them and otherwise an impossible
situation. It is ruining our City making our
streets unsafe, burning down multitudes
of buildings. What more disasters have to
occur before our Mayor stands up and Bans
all E-bikes!!
Rome is burning and nothing is being done
to save us. Somebody DO something immediately!!!
Registration and license. For all that fall into the category of a two wheeled vehicle. A bicycle is not being run by person power solely, but need to obey the laws of the street, sidewalk, the park.
A sidewalk is not a side-ride.
I’ve lived here for 44 years and I have yet to see a car being driven on a sidewalk, against traffic or through a red light 5 to 10 seconds after it turns red. I see bike-riders doing all of these things every day endangering all of us with their lawless selfish behavior. The malevolent bicycle lobbing group Transportation Alternatives has our politicians in their pocket. It’s about time Hoylman got called out for his inexcusable foot dragging. NYCEVSA.org