BY THE VILLAGE SUN | On Thursday, Governor Hochul signed a package of bills into law focused on regulating illegal motorbikes, as well as protecting New Yorkers from dangerous lithium-ion batteries.
The bills include S.7703B/A8450B, which requires limited-use motorcycles — such as mopeds, motorbikes and e-scooters — to be registered at their point of sale. The legislation was sponsored by a pair of Manhattan Democrats, state Senator Brad Hoylman-Sigal and Assemblymember Alex Bores.
“There are far too many unlicensed mopeds on our streets, and even worse, on our sidewalks,” Hoylman-Sigal said. “I’ve received more complaints about the hazards these mopeds cause than just about any other issue, which is why I hosted a symposium this spring at the Midtown Community Justice Center to seek policy solutions to the growing problem of e-bikes and mopeds with local stakeholders and government colleagues, including Councilmembers Brewer and Bottcher and Assemblymembers Rosenthal and Simone.
“The legislation being signed today by Governor Hochul is a direct outcome of our symposium and will require mopeds to be registered and licensed at the point of sale — before leaving the premises of moped retailers,” Hoylman-Sigal stressed. “With this new law in effect, more registered mopeds will mean greater enforcement of our traffic laws and safer streets.”
Hoylman-Sigal said mopeds, as well as e-bikes, have been a “growing problem” in his West Side district. However, although a press release touting the bill’s passage refers to the “Manhattan moped crisis,” his bill notably does not also call for licensing and registering e-bikes.
Jake Ascher, Hoylman-Sigal’s chief of staff, explained, “This bill specifically targets mopeds because they are already required to be registered; but because, until now, they did not have to be registered at the point of sale, there were many cases of mopeds being bought and then never registered. So, this bill is intended to close that loophole and ensure that the already-existing law requiring mopeds to be registered is better enforced.
“Though e-bikes are not covered by this bill, and not currently required to be registered in the same way mopeds are, Senator Hoylman-Sigal is concerned about e-bikes as well and has several pieces of legislation to address e-bikes, specifically, including requiring the registration of bicycles with electric assist used for commercial purposes.”
Meanwhile, a separate package of bills, known as Priscilla’s Law, introduced by Assemblymember Jennifer Rajkumar calls for both e-bikes and e-scooters to be licensed and registered — plus insured and inspected.
Rajkumar voted for Hoylman-Sigal’s bill.
The NYC-E-Vehicle Safety Alliance (EVSA) cheered the passed of the state senator’s bill but said more work still needs to be done.
“NYC-EVSA is thrilled that A8450/S7703 requiring mopeds to have registration and license at point of sale was just signed into law,” the group said. “We are grateful to Senator Hoylman and Assemblymember Alex Bores for writing this bill. We are also proud of the fact that EVSA asked for this bill to be written. We uncovered the loophole that although it is illegal to ride a moped without license/registration, there was no law stating it was illegal to sell mopeds without license/registration.
“We also highly support bill A7628/S7610 to change the Department of Motor Vehicles 103 form by adding moped and e-bike categories, so that the specific type of vehicle involved in a crash will be reported.
“The e-bike battery safety bills are also commonsense laws that we support fully.
“What is missing is one of the most important bills of all, Priscilla’s Law, which requires registration of all e-vehicles (state bill A-9092 and city bill Intro 0606-2024). Accountability is the way to change the ongoing egregious riding behavior of many riders on both e-Citi Bikes and commercial e-bikes. This law will save lives and mitigate injuries of pedestrians, cyclists and e-bike riders. Consequence shapes behavior and, currently, there is no consequence for the lawless riding of e-vehicles and fleeing the scene of crashes.”
Now the question is will the NYPD be allowed to do its job — enforce the law? Michael R Bloomberg preceded the recent Supreme Court decision conveying dictator-like powers on the ruler if they are conducted officially — while in office by withholding enforcement at the behest of Transportation Alternative “visionaries. Now that the public safety crisis has metastasized, will the current mayor implement the laws by enforcing them?
Transportation Alternatives, by dint of assiduous arm-twisting and generous campaign contributions, has exerted undue influence. TA still opposes enforcement. What looks like irrational, talks like irrational and smells like irrational must be treated like irrational.
The lack of enforcement has been a reckless dereliction of duty by several administrations. An abject bastardization of the bike programs imported from Europe that prioritize enforcement as the backbone of a responsible bike culture. No enforcement. No environmental impact study. Irresponsible. Irrational.
Asssemblymember Rajkumar has sponsored the Pricilla’s Law bill proposed by the Electric Vehicle Safety Alliance. Rational. Pragmatic. Responsible.
Charles Komanoff — the car killer — had been a vociferous opponent of nuclear power until it became clear that it was necessary to combat global warming.
Charles Komanoff wrong on nuclear energy, wrong on Vision Zero.
The core of this problem isn’t the mopeds / ebikes / whatever. It’s the rapacious delivery apps … and the people who feed this beast by choosing to use these apps. If you disagree, you also disagree with John Oliver (season 11 episode 6 aired on March 31, 2024) and Marge Simpson (“GimmeChow, or, Night of the Living Wage,” aired April 4, 2024) … and when you’re on one side of a controversy and John Oliver and Marge Simpson are on the other side … you’re on the wrong side.
“choose to use these apps”: There’s a small segment of NYC’s population that relies on delivery; for these folks, it’s not a choice. But for the vast majority, it’s a choice … a bad choice, with bad consequences for restaurants, the deliveristas and everyone who uses NYC’s streets and sidewalks.
Sorry — the core of this problem is the abject failure of the City to enforce the traffic laws that apply to *all* vehicles, regardless of the number of wheels or whether a motor is involved. This policy comes from the Mayor’s Office and has been in effect for multiple administrations. We hope “Priscilla’s Law” will be enacted, but even that will be at the mercy of non-enforcement policies.