NYC Council to consider e-bike, scooter safety proposals at hearing
New York City Council members will consider 23 proposals on e-bike and e-scooter safety Wednesday, while crash victims and safety advocates rally for stronger accountability.
City officials said this is the most proposals it has ever taken up in a single council hearing.
Some target the companies behind the deliveries, with one requiring delivery services to get a city business license. Another would require food delivery apps to verify workers' mopeds are properly registered.
Other measures would require liability insurance and use technology to address unsafe riding. It includes an e-bike trade-in program, speed-testing equipment to check devices and traffic-calming measures in bike lanes at 50 intersections.
In a video posted Tuesday, Council Speaker Julie Menin and majority leader Shaun Abreau demonstrated a bike they said slows automatically when it reaches a sidewalk. This type of technology is among the ideas under consideration.
The meeting comes after at least 20 people have been killed while biking in the city so far in 2026. Most recently, a delivery worker was struck by a car in Midtown Monday while the driver left the scene, according to police.
New York Electric Mobility Coalition spokesperson Elliot Garcia said he would like to see City Council make infrastructure safer for bike riders.
"I would like to see them do a few things. Definitely fix the infrastructure," he said. "So many changes have happened since COVID, you know, I get it they have to narrow it down somewhere, but they gotta meet us in the middle."
Queens resident Jeremy Sexton said he has been biking for 10 years and, "Everyone is kind of the problem."
"People are going to get the bikes whether they like it or not. They can't post someone on the corner every single day," he said.
The New York City E-Vehicles Safety Alliance plans to make its position clear at 9 a.m. during a rally on the City Hall steps.
It supports some of the proposals but argues that without licensing, registration and identifiable plates for all e-vehicles, dangerous riders can still be difficult to hold accountable.
City agencies, transportation experts, advocates and workers are expected to testify during the 10 a.m. hearing.
Since these are still proposals, the City Council will have to later vote on them before implementing them into law.
