The New York City Council will hold a comprehensive hearing on e-bike and e-scooter safety on September 30, as the city considers new legislation and stronger enforcement measures aimed at addressing crashes involving illegal and high-speed electric vehicles.
The hearing, announced by City Council Speaker Julie Menin, will bring together city agencies, transportation and public safety experts, advocates, delivery workers and members of the public. The Council will review existing laws and consider more than a dozen legislative proposals covering vehicle safety, delivery platforms, enforcement, infrastructure and consumer protection.
Photo: New York City Council
According to the Council, e-bike collisions have increased by 31.7% this year compared with last year, with more than 500 collisions involving e-bikes reported in 2026 alone. Recent incidents, including an incident involving an illegal high-speed e-scooter on the Queensboro Bridge in May that resulted in the deaths of two New Yorkers, have intensified concerns over e-bike and e-scooter safety. Last month, an e-bike rider traveling the wrong way in Central Park struck a jogger, leaving the victim in a coma for several days.
Among the proposals under consideration is Introduction 244, sponsored by Council Member Crystal Hudson, which would prohibit the sale and rental of Class 3 bicycles with electric assist in New York City and establish civil penalties of up to $2,000.
Other proposals focus on greater accountability for delivery platforms. Introduction 950, sponsored by Council Member Lynn Schulman, would require delivery services that facilitate or arrange the delivery of goods in New York City to obtain a business license from the Department of Consumer and Worker Protection. Introduction 78, sponsored by Council Member Gale Brewer, would require third-party delivery apps to provide data on drivers, delivery times and locations.
The Council is also considering measures aimed at improving enforcement and street design. Introduction 787, sponsored by Council Member Selvena Brooks-Powers, would require the NYPD to publicly report targeted traffic enforcement activities, including where and why enforcement was conducted, the types of violations issued—including those involving e-bikes and e-scooters—and the impact of enforcement on safety. Introduction 124, also sponsored by Brooks-Powers, would establish a task force to study options for making street design and infrastructure safer for pedestrians, motorists, cyclists and e-bike users.
Additional proposals would expand commercial bicycle safety regulations to other delivery vehicles, require delivery platforms to verify moped registration, increase penalties for leaving the scene of an e-scooter crash, and improve consumer information on moped operation.
The Council said further legislation is expected in the coming weeks, including proposals covering additional insurance requirements for third-party delivery platforms, incentives to trade in unsafe devices, stronger consumer protections, expanded enforcement and infrastructure changes designed to slow high-speed riding.
“This legislative package will draw clear lines, helping ensure the companies who profit from dangerous speeds are held accountable, the fast, illegal devices come off our streets, and the legal ones are safer,” said Majority Leader Shaun Abreu, chair of the Committee on Transportation and Infrastructure.
The September hearing will be led by Speaker Menin, Majority Leader Abreu, Consumer and Worker Protection Committee Chair Harvey Epstein and Public Safety Committee Chair Oswald Feliz. The Council said the hearing is part of a broader investigative effort to engage affected stakeholders and identify legislative solutions to improve safety for pedestrians, riders, delivery workers and other New Yorkers.
Photo: New York City Council
