NYC Parks is launching a pilot program that will allow e-bikes and lightweight e-scooters in city parks as the city’s e-bike usage continues to grow.  

These vehicles are only permitted on park drives and greenways, where bicycles are already allowed. The program was first announced in March as part of Mayor Eric Adams’ “Charge Safe, Ride Safe: NYC’s Electric Micromobility Plan and will last until next May.  

The plan is to keep New Yorkers safer as more people choose this form of transportation. The e-bikes and e-scooters cannot be ridden on pedestrian paths and the plan does not include faster, heavier mopeds or motorcycles anywhere in the park.  

On the same day that the pilot program launched, a fire broke out at a Manhattan e-bike repair store in the early morning, killing four people.

Some people expressed concerns about reckless driving near parkgoers, but those using the bikes were happy to be able to use the park as another route.  

“It could create an accident, and I think that’s why people don’t need to use it in the parks,” said Aboagye Opoku-Ageymang, a Bronx resident who walks through Crotona Park daily.  

Interested in taking your e-bike into the park? Click here to see where you can ride.