Some say despite rash of fires, e-bike ban in NYC buildings is not the right approach
NEW YORK -- A growing number of apartment buildings are now banning e-bikes on their properties, citing fire hazards.
Just Monday, a company that manages more than two dozen buildings across the city announced a ban in every one of them.
But as CBS2's Tim McNicholas learned, some are calling on buildings to hit the brakes on the bans.
A gut-wrenching fire injured 43 people on Saturday on East 52nd Street. But it sparked change more than a mile away at the Somerset Apartments on the Upper East Side.
"I knew nothing. I know a lot now," Bruce Trachtenberg said.
Trachtenberg and other tenants got notices Monday banning e-bike storage at Somerset or any of the 26 buildings run by Glenwood Management. The company does not manage the building that caught fire, but said the blaze, which was started by the kind of battery used in e-bikes, convinced it to change the rules.
"I would hate to one day be woken up in the middle of the night, I live on the 28th floor, finding out the building is on fire because somebody's battery exploded," Trachtenberg said.
READ MORE: E-bikes eyed as possible cause of fire at Queens bike shop
And with nearly 200 fires connected to those batteries in New York City this year, Glenwood Management isn't alone.
The building where the fire happened Saturday also has an e-bike ban, but investigators still found e-bikes in the apartment where it started. And earlier this year, NYCHA considered banning e-bikes on its properties, but has since backed off that idea.
"I think the approach of banning is the wrong direction," said Hildalyn Colon Hernandez, an organizer with Los Deliveristas Unidos, a group that fights for the rights of food delivery workers, many of whom ride e-bikes for work. "Instead of proposing alternatives, how we can do this better and safer and people to come forward. I think the banning is just taking us back in a totality different direction."
Hernandez says to prevent fires related to e-bikes, the government should crack down on dysfunctional batteries and keep track of who is selling batteries. Many of the fires are caused by refurbished batteries or batteries that are not compatible with the charger being used.
"Particularly ones that are refurbished, should not be sold," City Council member Gale Brewer said.
READ MORE: With lithium ion-related fires on the rise, FDNY offers guidelines for e-bikes and e-scooter users
Brewer has proposed a ban on the sale of refurbished batteries.
"How could that be prevented?" McNicholas asked.
"Obviously, if we do legislation, you can't sell it. There would be fines," Brewer said.
The FDNY also says you should never charge batteries overnight.
There will be a City Council hearing on all of this and more on Nov. 14.