NYC Wants to Make Riding Unregistered E-Bicycles Illegal
The move would mean anyone riding an electrically assisted bicycle or e-scooter would need a licence and insurance
New York City lawmakers are looking to clamp down on e-bike use, as a push to make all pedal-assist bicycles liable for a licence and registration is revealed.
The move has been pushed to the forefront after a rise in injuries and even fatalities have been reported, and a surge in reckless rider behaviour has occurred. The negative effects of the increase in e-bike and e-scooter use have been linked to NYC lawmakers going it alone with regulations instead of waiting for state-level certification.
To combat the reckless use of the machines, Priscilla’s Law is being considered, named after a New York resident who was killed by an e-bike rider who later fled the scene. Furthermore, the New York Post reports that the findings of Assemblyman, Alex Bores, highlights that e-bike collisions and injuries are twice as common as those involving traditional non-assisted bicycles. Part of the problem, which is also notable here in the UK, is the extensive use of e-bikes by people working for fast food delivery apps. With tight deadlines for delivering the food, and in some cases penalties for late deliveries, riders are quite literally cutting corners and disregarding the rules of the road. Additionally, the NY Post notes that since 2019 e-bike and e-scooter battery fires have totalled 730, claiming the lives of 30 New Yorkers and injuring close to 500.
Priscilla’s law would, in theory, help to reduce these numbers, by requiring all e-mobility devices, which would cover pedal assists bicycles, scooters and more, to require the rider to be licenced and the vehicle to be insured. Placing e-devices in the same category as motorcycles and scooters. And personally, I think that is a very sensible move.
There are some that oppose the move though, claiming that delivery firms and restaurants already have enough hoops to jump through to allow them to use e-bike delivery couriers. It’s more than likely though that the people against the clamp down on e-devices have never lost a loved one due to another person’s reckless riding.
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Simon (AKA Toad) has been working within the motorcycle industry for more than twelve years, and a member of the motorcyclist family since birth. Growing up around British-built single and twins, it was inevitable that a life on two wheels was on the cards, from a very early age!
