Holden (left) slams Council members over e-bike enforcement and stalled security invoice.
Photograph Credit score: Emil Cohen/NYC Council Media Unit
Council Member Robert Holden sharply criticized fellow Metropolis Council members on Thursday, Might 29 following the Public Security Govt Funds listening to, accusing them of hypocrisy for voicing considerations in regards to the metropolis’s e-bike disaster whereas refusing to again proposed laws he says would immediately tackle the problem.
Holden’s feedback have been in response to remarks made by Council Members Selvena Brooks-Powers, Yusef Salaam, Diana Ayala, Gale Brewer, Tiffany Cabán and Lincoln Restler, who raised considerations in regards to the risks posed by unlawful or reckless e-bike riders. Nonetheless, a lot of their focus centered on the potential affect of enforcement actions—notably legal summonses—on immigrant riders, a few of whom could face deportation.
“City Hall is full of hypocrites,” mentioned Holden, who represents the District 30 neighborhoods of Ridgewood, Maspeth, Center Village, Glendale, Elmhurst and Rego Park. “They cry wolf about the dangers of e-bikes, but then oppose the one bill that would address the problem.”
Holden is the lead sponsor of Priscilla’s Legislation, laws that will set up clear authorized penalties for reckless riders who function unlawful or unregistered e-bikes on metropolis streets. The invoice is called after Priscilla Loke, a longtime early childhood educator and assistant director at Chinatown Head Begin, who was struck and killed by an unlawful e-bike rider whereas crossing the road in her neighborhood in 2023.
Since its introduction, Priscilla’s Legislation has gained 28 co-sponsors—a majority of the Council—however stays stalled, missing assist from members who voiced concern throughout the listening to. Holden argued that if the Council supported his laws, it might get rid of the necessity for controversial legal summonses altogether.
“If they’re truly worried about the risk of deportation from criminal summonses, then they should support my bill,” Holden mentioned. “Instead, they’re captured by special interests and ignoring the safety of everyday New Yorkers.”
On the listening to, NYPD Commissioner Jessica Tisch echoed Holden’s considerations, stating that present enforcement instruments are ineffective in holding unlicensed e-bike riders accountable.
NYPD Commissioner Jessica Tisch testifies earlier than the Metropolis Council, urging new enforcement instruments for regulating unlawful e-bikes.Photograph Credit score: Gerardo Romo / NYC Council Media Unit.
“I am eager to work with this Council on a legal framework—a new enforcement paradigm for e-bikes in New York City,” Tisch mentioned in her testimony. “B summonses are virtually meaningless for unlicensed vehicles. The only option we had was to issue C summonses.”
Tisch famous that B summonses are efficient for licensed drivers as a result of they can lead to factors or suspensions. In distinction, with out licenses, e-bike operators face no actual consequence below that system. She urged the Council to think about new approaches, together with licensing necessities or different regulatory adjustments, to handle what she known as an unworkable establishment.
The difficulty of e-bike security and regulation has gained urgency in recent times amid a surge in each authorized and unlawful motorized bikes on metropolis streets. The NYPD has recorded an increase in accidents involving pedestrians and e-bike riders, together with fatalities. In the meantime, enforcement stays difficult because of gaps within the present authorized framework.
Holden’s Priscilla’s Legislation is certainly one of a number of proposals aimed toward enhancing road security in response to those incidents, however debate continues over how greatest to steadiness public security with considerations about over-policing and the disproportionate affect of legal penalties on immigrant communities.
The Council’s ultimate finances negotiations are anticipated to proceed via June, with e-bike enforcement more likely to stay a flashpoint in broader discussions round road security and transportation coverage.
