Pedestrians who now have to watch for cars and bikes when they cross the street may soon have to worry about electric scooters.
Legislators in the City Council plan to introduce a package of bills on Wednesday that would legalize electric bikes that can travel up to 20 mph and stand-up electric scooters that can go up to 15 mph.
Currently only e-bikes with motors that solely operate when the rider is pedaling are allowable under city and state rules.
The issue of e-bikes has been heavily debated because crackdowns have largely targeted restaurant delivery workers, many of whom are immigrants, according to advocacy groups and elected officials.
“Legalizing e-bikes is an essential step in giving delivery workers greater job stability and better working conditions. The work is hard enough with difficult weather, long shifts, and low pay,” said Council member Rafael Espinal (D-Brooklyn), a co-sponsor of the bills.
“This legislation has been years in the making, and represents a great step forward for transit equity.”
The package of proposals calls for a 1-to 2-year e-scooter sharing pilot, likely in one of the neighborhoods that will be impacted by the pending shutdown of the L-train in Brooklyn.
It also establishes a 1-year program under which the city would help cyclists convert their e-bikes to specifications that make them legal under the proposed laws.
Supporters say the bills won’t require changes to state law because they loosen the regulation of electric bikes and scooters by labeling them devices rather than vehicles.
Mayor Bill de Blasio indicated in August that he’s open to changes in state and city regulations of electric bikes as long as their speed is limited.
“If we want to figure out a different approach we have an opportunity to, but that approach has to come with some real limits because I’m not comfortable with someone treating a very fast electrified bike like they can do whatever they want with it,” the mayor said at the time.
It’s not clear whether the 20 mph limit imposed under the proposed legislation will be enough to address de Blasio’s concerns.
City Hall spokesman Seth Stein noted that e-scooters are illegal under current state and city law but said officials “look forward to reviewing the proposals with an eye toward both transportation innovation and safety on our streets and sidewalks.”