Gov vetoes e-bikes law
Cites safety woes as fans howl
Gov. Cuomo on Thursday vetoed a bill that would legalize electric bikes and scooters throughout New York.
The bill was passed by the Legislature earlier this year, and would have paved the way for New York City to regulate electric bikes that are commonly used by food delivery drivers, who are largely immigrants.
“The Legislature’s proposal inexplicably omitted several of the safety measures included” in an earlier budget proposal, Cuomo (inset) wrote in justifying the veto. “Failure to include these basic measures renders this legislation fatally flawed.”
The governor said helmet requirements for e-bike riders should have been included in the bill, and cited a 16-year-old boy who was killed by a tow truck in November while riding a Lime electric scooter in Elizabeth, N.J., as a reason why tighter safety restrictions are necessary.
New York does not have clear-cut standards or definitions for e-bikes, but the bill would have changed that. The legislation would have also given the green light to electric scooters on city streets.
The NYPD considers ebikes that require pedal pushing to get an electric boost, legal. Bikes with throttles that get a boost even when the rider is not pedaling are subject to crackdowns by cops.
NYPD data shows that cops seized more than two e-bikes that they considered illegal per day on average this year — which comes with a costly summons.
The bill would have established specific classes for ebikes and allow for municipalities to determine how to regulate them. It also would’ve come with a few provisions, like requirements that the twowheelers top out at 25 mph and a statewide rule to keep them from being used on sidewalks.
Sen. Jessica Ramos (DQueens), a sponsor of the legislation, said, “Our state has failed to help tens of thousands of New Yorkers who desperately need relief from the punitive measures taken against them every day.”
The veto was devastating for delivery worker advocates, who for years have stumped for the legalization of e-bikes.
“Gov. Cuomo effectively condemns delivery workers to another winter of police harassment for using e-bikes to do their jobs,” said Do Lee, a professor at Queens College and a member of the Biking Public Project, which advocates on behalf of delivery workers. “The governor for some vague safety reasons that seem to be based on whims is denying workers justice.”
Lee said he hopes the Legislature goes back to the drawing board next year.