Mayor Zohran Mamdani wouldn’t decide to eradicating harmful e-bikes from metropolis streets or assist laws requiring the automobiles to be registered — at the same time as he acknowledged the hazard posed by the motorcycle-like machines.
As a substitute, Mamdani introduced at a Metropolis Corridor press convention Wednesday that his administration had issued cease-and-desist orders to 42 on-line retailers illegally promoting high-speed e-bikes and scooters in New York Metropolis, threatening $2,000 fines per unlawful sale if the retailers don’t comply.
“We can’t and won’t settle for these harmful automobiles on our metropolis streets. And but, the businesses that promote these automobiles proceed to market them to New Yorkers who belief that the product they’re buying is authorized within the metropolis that they name dwelling,” Mamdani mentioned.
The announcement got here a day after Metropolis Council Speaker Julie Menin unveiled a slate of laws geared toward cracking down on lawless e-bikers, arguing town’s present legal guidelines aren’t being correctly enforced.
Mamdani’s order targets future gross sales of three classes of unlawful units: stand-up scooters weighing over 100 kilos or able to exceeding 20 miles per hour; e-bikes with motors larger than 750 watts or in a position to hit speeds above 25 miles per hour; and seated mopeds missing a sound car identification quantity.
However Mamdani demurred when requested whether or not he would direct his administration to go after automobiles which have already been bought.
“For now, that is our focus,” he mentioned.
The cease-and-desist order requires retailers to conform by Aug. 18.
Mamdani mentioned his administration would conduct ongoing inspections of each on-line retailers and brick-and-mortar shops to make sure compliance after that deadline.
A Division of Transportation spokesperson couldn’t say what number of retailer inspections the company had carried out this yr since Mamdani took workplace, nor may the spokesperson make clear which company is liable for monitoring these inspections.
The mayor additionally declined to assist laws requiring e-bikes and scooters to be registered — a step that security advocates mentioned would make it simpler to carry reckless riders accountable with visitors cameras or bystander footage.
“I don’t consider that might really enhance avenue security, and that’s not an strategy I’d pursue,” Mamdani mentioned.
A spokesperson for the NYC E-Automobile Security Alliance mentioned “hell no” the mayor hasn’t performed sufficient to guard New Yorkers from the souped-up e-bikes barreling via town’s bike lane community.
“Hell no. It was an impotent response by the mayor that does nothing to get the extremely harmful unlawful e-vehicles off the road,” the spokesperson mentioned.
“He wouldn’t decide to enforcement or e-vehicle registration,” the spokesperson added. “We’re left with the identical failed insurance policies that created this lethal public well being disaster, which has plagued town for 5 years. Take a look at ER stats — it’s crystal clear that e-vehicle trauma admissions are solely rising, all whereas the mayor does completely nothing.”
The unlawful rides have been liable for greater than half of all e-bike rider deaths since 2017, in response to the mayor’s workplace, and an NYU Langone examine, printed in April, discovered that “micromobility” crashes grew from below 10% of motorbike and scooter trauma circumstances in 2018 to greater than half by 2023 — and now account for almost 7% of all trauma admissions on the hospital.
Mamdani’s personal DOT commissioner, Mike Flynn — who stood beside the mayor on the press convention — acknowledged the scope of the issue.
“There are unlawful units on our streets which might be inflicting confusion and creating security dangers,” Flynn mentioned.
A 17-year-old driving an unlawful Deepower QS7 was killed close to the Brooklyn Bridge after colliding with a parked SUV in Decrease Manhattan.
A jogger in Central Park final month spent weeks in a coma after being struck by an e-bike.
Town is already dealing with a lawsuit over Mamdani’s resolution to finish felony enforcement towards reckless e-bike riders in March.
The mayor — moments after declining to prioritize enforcement towards unlawful bikes already on the streets — identified the legislation that bans these harmful automobiles has been in place for six years whereas these retailers have continued to promote the outlawed automobiles.
“What use is a legislation if it’s not being enforced?” Mamdani requested.
