E-bike riders in NYC will need to slow down under a proposed rule Mayor Eric Adams announced on Wednesday evening.
The mayor is seeking a citywide 15 mph speed limit for e-bikes, which would match the current legal speed limit for e-scooters. Right now, e-bikes, depending on the class of bike, can travel up to 20 to 25 mph.
Adams said the proposed rule is to “make city streets safer” and would mirror similar speeds in other parts of the world, including the European Union.
“I have heard, over and over again, from New Yorkers about how their safety and the safety of their children have been put at risk due to speeding e-bikes and e-scooters, and today, our administration is saying enough is enough,” Adams explained. “We are implementing a new 15-mile-per-hour speed limit for e-bikes and e-scooters that will make our streets safer.”
Many New Yorkers have told amNewYork in recent reports that they often observe e-bikes being operated recklessly on city streets and sidewalks.
The proposal follows the NYPD’s newly launched Quality of Life Division, which Police Commissioner Jessica Tisch said is designed to tackle everyday concerns, including non-emergency 311 complaints—many of which have been focused on stopping reckless e-bike operators.
“Out-of-control scooters and e-bikes is something we’re hearing a lot,” Tisch told amNewYork in April.
Adams said the speed limit would be enforced through a proposed commercial delivery license to “strengthen delivery worker, battery, and traffic safety.” More specifically, he is calling for the creation of a Department of Sustainable Delivery that he said would hold third-party delivery companies — such as Uber Eats and DoorDash — responsible for the safe use of micromobility devices by their workers.
But in order to launch the proposed department and license program, he said, he needs the City Council’s support. Adams said his proposed legislation to create a Department of Sustainable Delivery has stalled in the City Council for nine months without a hearing.
“We’re proud of the work we’ve done to expand biking across the five boroughs, but we have an obligation to keep everyone safe,” Adams said. “We are also calling on our partners in the City Council to pass our long-proposed legislation that will strengthen delivery worker safety. It’s time to protect delivery workers and all New Yorkers, once and for all.”
The department would force companies to get a license and follow safety regulations to ensure their drivers use safe devices and certified batteries, follow traffic rules and other requirements.
Julia Agos, a spokesperson for Council Speaker Adrienne Adams, said the council has been speaking with the mayor’s administration.
“The safety of sidewalks and streets remains a top priority for Speaker Adams and the council, and we remain in discussions with constructive members of the mayoral administration to advance solutions on e-bike safety and sustainable delivery,” Agos said. “The mayor seeking to negotiate legislation by press release may get him headlines, but doesn’t contribute to delivering for New Yorkers, and that’s been his problem.”
Meanwhile, many transit advocates have said the speed limit proposal is a “bad and confusing policy,” as it would single out e-bike operators, and subject them to a lower speed limit than most other vehicles on the street.
One source said the proposal would likely increase contact between delivery workers and Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) agents, as many NYC delivery workers are immigrants.
According to the Worker’s Justice Project, nearly half of the city’s 65,000 deliveristas rely on e-bikes for work and everyday commutes. Advocates from the organization have been vocal about opposing laws that target e-bike riders, including the NYPD’s recently implemented policy that could have cyclists facing criminal summonses for traffic infractions.
“By issuing criminal summonses, the city is forcing delivery workers into the criminal court system, placing them at greater risk of ICE encounters, and threatening their families and livelihoods,” NYC Council Member Pierina Sanchez said in a recent press release. “We can and must keep our streets safe without criminalizing immigrant workers just trying to provide for their families through dignified work.”
The NYC Department of Transportation will hold a public hearing about the proposed rule online on Monday, July 14, at 10 a.m.
