Why are there no electric scooters in New York?

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Whether purchased or rented, in recent years, electric scooters have been on the rise and invade the streets of major American and European cities. But this is not the case in New York. Why ? That’s the silly question of the week.

The answer is simple: they are not allowed in the city. A 2004 law bans electric bikes and scooters, even on private property, and provides for a $ 500 fine for violators.

In recent months, however, several initiatives have tried to change the legislation in favor of these modes of transport known as electric micro-mobility (flexible and ecological transport over short distances). In November 2018, following numerous political differences, New York State Governor Andrew Cuomo presented a law Project allowing cities to decide for themselves the legality of vehicles. However, some local officials have expressed concern over the application of this bill. Thus, on April 9, no less than three “community boards” in Manhattan have adopted resolutions opposing the Cuomo plan, according to the Streets Blog NYC site.

Community boards 2 and 4, representing Chelsea and Hell’s Kitchen, were in favor of the legalization of electric micro-mobility subject to certain conditions related to user training, maximum speeds and the guarantee that vehicles will be used and parked on the street and not on the sidewalk.

The Upper East Side community board 8 is completely against it, again according to Streets Blog NYC, considering electric scooters and bicycles as sources of accidents. In a report published on February 6, Consumer Reports points out that 1,500 people have reportedly been treated following accidents on electric scooters in the United States since the end of 2007.

However, the three “community boards” remain concerned about the situation of delivery people for whom the electric bicycle represents a means of subsistence. It is difficult for these largely immigrant workers, using electric bikes, to assert their rights against delivery giants like Grubhub or Uber. As a result, they are often forced to pay their fines and find themselves unemployed when the New York police seize their bikes.

Community boards 2, 4 and 8 therefore asked the town hall to limit the penalties and approved the reduction of the fine for the use of the electric bike from $ 500 to $ 100. They also demanded that the city fund and support delivery men to convert their electric motor bikes to pedal assist. Indeed, last year, the town hall legalized pedal assisted bicycles, which cannot go beyond 25km / h, unlike electrically controlled bicycles, which operate similar to a scooter or a motorcycle. These can go up to 45km / h and remain illegal under State and City laws.

Since then, the momentum has largely been blocked, but a new bill could shake things up. On April 23, New York State Senator Jessica Ramos and Congresswoman Nily Rozic presented a Law proposition this time aiming to legalize electric scooters and bikes in New York State, while allowing cities to regulate them. The bill is still under discussion.

If at the same time, Bird and Lime, private companies wishing to establish themselves in the micro-mobility market in New York, invested heavily in lobbying At both state and city level, the electric scooter therefore remains prohibited in the same way as the electric bicycle. Patience however, their legalization is not impossible.

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