Governor Cuomo Calls for E-Bike Regulations as 2nd Plank of Public Safety Agenda
Governor Andrew M. Cuomo, a candidate for New York City Mayor, today announced a comprehensive plan to regulate e-bikes and cut down on the dangers they pose to riders and pedestrians as the second plank of his public safety agenda.
E-bikes were involved in 75 percent of bicycle-related fatalities in 2023 and over 7,200 reported injuries, including nearly 500 pedestrian injuries. Governor Cuomo’s plan calls for immediate action to protect both pedestrians and the delivery workers who predominately use e-bikes.
"There’s virtually no rules and no regulations regarding e-bike use in New York City and too many New Yorkers are getting hurt, and even killed,” Governor Cuomo said. “Enough is enough and we need to pass sensible laws that protect both pedestrians and riders alike and crack down on financial incentives that encourage this reckless behavior in the first place.”
A key driver of this issue lies in the structure of the food delivery industry. Most e-bike riders are delivery workers paid only for active trips, incentivizing dangerous speeds and reckless riding. As part of his plan, Cuomo would
Direct the Department of Consumer and Worker Protection (DCWP) to revise its minimum payment regulations to eliminate incentives that encourage hazardous behavior.
Create new standards making food delivery platforms financially liable for damages caused by their riders while making deliveries.
Seek local legislation requiring mandatory registration of all e-bikes and e-scooters with the NYC Department of Transportation. As part of this regulatory structure, DOT would require
Visible identification plates on all registered vehicles to facilitate enforcement.
Delivery app platforms to record registration numbers when assigning delivery jobs to workers.
This is the second plank of Governor Cuomo’s Public Safety Agenda. On Sunday, he unveiled the first plank, which was a 15 percent, or 5,000 officer increase for the NYPD. This would reverse a years-long decline in the NYPD ranks.
Throughout his career in public service, Governor Cuomo has been a champion for working New Yorkers, raising wages for millions of workers, passing the strongest gun violence prevention and paid family leave laws in the nation, advancing the most substantial infrastructure program in a generation, including the Second Avenue Subway, the Moynihan Train Hall, the new Kosciuszko Bridge and the new JFK and LaGuardia airports and codifying Roe vs. Wade in state law years before the Supreme Court overturned it, all while cutting taxes and reining in spending.
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