New York, NY – On Tuesday, May 29, 2018, the Progressive Caucus of the New York City Council submitted testimony to the New York City Department of Transportation (DOT) on an e-bikes rule change. The proposed rule change will permit pedal assist e-bikes only, not throttle or combination e-bikes, and is an issue has particularly affected immigrant delivery workers, many of whom utilize different forms of e-bikes to quickly make serial deliveries.
The Progressive Caucus has been a long-standing champion of biking as a healthy, sustainable, and viable transportation alternative in New York City’s congested and overburdened transportation system. The Caucus recently organized its fifth annual Bike to Work Day with group rides and a rally at City Hall to call for improvements in street design, bike safety education, and infrastructure.
In the spirit of such bike advocacy, the members of the Progressive Caucus support the legalization of pedal assist e-bikes as a form of alternative and sustainable transportation that is available to more people, regardless of age, or zip code, or physical ability or disability. However, the Caucus encourages the Administration and DOT to pursue a non-punitive approach to the issue that involves a clear way for pedal assist e-bike users to differentiate themselves from other e-bike users and a robust pilot conversion program to allow delivery workers to switch over to pedal-assist e-bikes. We also encourage the Administration to pause enforcement while the City trains law enforcement and educates workers and the public on the rules changes.
Read the full Caucus statement here.