Cuomo touts bill legalizing e-bikes and scooters
BY MARK HALLUM
A month after he vetoed
an electronic bike legalization
bill that state lawmakers
approved last year, Governor
Andrew Cuomo presented his
own plans for e-bike and scooter
reforms.
No helmet requirements
and higher speed limits in
the original legislation were
factors Cuomo attributed to
his decision to veto, but now
he says he’s “all for it” when
it comes to his bills, which allows
for speeds up to 25 miles
per hour and makes protective
headwear obligatory for certain
riders.
The Jan. 23 press conference
at the governor’s Manhattan
office was a follow-up
to his budget address on Jan.
21 in which he said funding for
an e-bike and scooter legalization
bill would be in the pipeline.
“New transportation technologies
like e-bikes and
e-scooters pose exciting potential
as a sustainable alternative
to vehicles, but we need
clear laws and regulations
that put the safety of riders
and pedestrians first,” Cuomo
said. “This legislation will
create important speed and
operating measures for these
technologies that will provide
clarity for everyone and end
the arbitrary enforcement
of vague laws that has posed
substantial hardship on immigrant
delivery workers, while
enabling all delivery workers
to do their work safely and
more efficiently.”
The news reached advocates
TIMESLEDGER |26 QNS.COM | JAN. 31-FEB. 6, 2020
who celebrated a victory
— even if it wasn’t completely
like the original bill they had
championed since 2018. That
year, Mayor Bill de Blasio
changed the administrative
code to ban motorized bikes,
primarily utilized by working
class immigrants to deliver
food.
But de Blasio has deferred
to the state in lifting the ban
on e-bikes and scooters, as
Albany has the real authority
legislate what type of vehicles
are road legal.
The original bill’s roots go
deep in Queens where it was
introduced by state Senator
Jessica Ramos and Assemblywoman
Nily Rozic.
“The push to legalize ebikes
and e-scooters has enjoyed
the support of a broad
coalition of stakeholders, from
immigration advocates and local
lawmakers to environmental
justice activists and food
delivery workers,” Transportation
Alternatives Executive
Director Danny Harris said
Jan. 21. “In New York City,
working cyclists who rely
on e-bikes to complete their
rounds have been targeted and
harassed. We expect Mayor de
Blasio and the NYPD to end
their misguided e-bike crackdown
once this budget is approved.”
According to the governor’s
office, the outline of his e-bike
bill are as follows:
• Setting a maximum speed
limit of 20 miles per hour on
Class 1 and Class 2 e-bikes and
25 miles per hour on Class 3 ebikes,
• A maximum speed limit of
15 miles per hour on scooters,
• Prohibiting e-bike and
scooter use on sidewalks,
• Requiring e-bike and
scooter users to be 16 years of
age or older
• Mandating all Class 3
e-bike riders to wear helmets
• Mandating all e-scooter
riders under 18 to wear
helmets
• Empowering localities to
mandate helmet requirements
for Class 1 and Class 2 e-bikes
QNS file photo
/QNS.COM
