NYC Officials Face Scrutiny Over E-bike Safety Amid Victim Outcry

New York City officials are facing sharp criticism from e-bike crash victims and their families over the city's approach to e-bike safety. At a City Council hearing, pedestrians who have suffered severe injuries due to reckless e-bike riders argued that the administration shows more concern for delivery workers, referred to as "deliveristas," than for those harmed by these vehicles. The council is considering a package of bills aimed at tightening enforcement on high-powered electric scooters.

City administration officials, including Department of Consumer and Worker Protection Commissioner Sam Levine, expressed concerns that stricter laws could disproportionately affect food delivery riders, many of whom are immigrants with limited English proficiency. Levine suggested that unrealistic delivery time demands from app employers are a significant factor in unsafe riding practices, rather than solely the riders themselves. "I cannot underscore enough that at the end of the day all the training in the world will not be sufficient if a worker goes out on the street and feels that they’re gonna lose their job if they don’t hit these unrealistic times that the delivery apps are insisting on," Levine stated.

Council member Crystal Hudson echoed this sentiment, emphasizing the responsibility to protect workers while also ensuring street safety. "As a governing body, we have a responsibility to make our streets safer, but perhaps more importantly, we have a responsibility to protect the workers who use those streets every day," Hudson said, adding, "I worry that some of the rhetoric around this package risks putting the blame on deliveristas when they are often the ones facing the greatest risks."

However, victims like Carrie Michaels, who sustained lifelong injuries from two separate e-bike crashes, expressed frustration. "For some reason, it’s more important for someone’s chicken sandwich to be delivered than anyone’s life," Michaels fumed.

Lawmakers are reviewing nearly two dozen proposals, including restrictions on high-powered e-bikes and increased licensing requirements for delivery companies. Speaker Julie Menin is advocating for state-level legislation requiring e-bike registration and licensing through the Department of Motor Vehicles, a stance favored by crash victims. A proposal known as Priscilla's Law, which would mandate DMV registration and rear license plates for e-bikes, is particularly supported by those affected by crashes.

Data presented to the council revealed a significant lack of enforcement. From January 2025 to March 2026, the NYPD issued only two e-bike speeding tickets. Furthermore, since 2023, only five tickets have been issued to businesses whose workers used illegal scooters for deliveries, with none recorded in the current year. Historically, the city processed over 1,000 cases annually against delivery businesses for violations such as failing to provide helmets, but this number has dropped to fewer than 25 per year since 2021.

The Department of Transportation acknowledged that the exact number of e-bikes on city streets is unknown due to the absence of a registration requirement. Despite this, the NYPD has seized over 10,000 illegal mopeds and 1,200 illegal e-bikes this year alone. Store inspections, which previously involved hundreds of shops, have decreased to between 15 and 50 per month since a crackdown in September 2023.

The hearing comes after a series of high-profile e-bike accidents over the summer, including the death of 17-year-old Gabriel Nacato, who collided with an SUV near City Hall on July 29. The incident, like others, has amplified calls for stricter regulations and enforcement to prevent further injuries and fatalities on city streets.