Mayor's plan to end criminal enforcement of e-bikes riders and cyclists sparks mixed reactions
Mayor Zohran Mamdani announced e-bike riders and cyclists will no longer be criminally charged for traffic violations.
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E-bike riders and cyclists will no longer be criminally charged for traffic violations. Mayor Zohran Mamdani announced the end of the enforcement, saying it “burdened working New Yorkers.”
Meanwhile, many pedestrians say they are concerned for their safety.
“They’ll just hit you out of nowhere,” Allerton resident Justin Rivera said. “I kinda feel a little bit unsafe.”
“They run rampant,” resident Cardell Tucker said. “They feel they have the right of way all the time.”
“These bikes have been terrorizing our community for so long,” said Gene Defrancis, executive director of the Allerton International Merchants Association.
Under the Adams administration, e‑bike riders and cyclists who violated traffic laws could be criminally charged. Now, Mayor Mamdani is ending that rule, and “low-level traffic offenses” will result in civil summonses instead of riders appearing in criminal court.
Bike advocates consider this a win.
“This is about fairness,” said Charlie Baker, associate director of Digital Media & Marketing at Transportation Alternatives. “It never made any sense to punish New Yorkers on bikes with criminal summonses while just giving car drivers traffic tickets for the same infractions.”
The mayor also plans to launch a safety training program for delivery workers and says he will “work with the City Council to pursue legislation to address unsafe practices by third-party delivery app companies.”
