Electric Bikes and Scooters Will Stay Illegal In New York Thanks To Governor Cuomo (theverge.com) 82
New York Governor Andrew Cuomo has vetoed a bill that would have made electric scooters and bikes legal in the state, citing the lack of a mandatory helmet requirement and other safety concerns. The veto means e-bikes and e-scooters will continue to remain technically illegal across the state, and will further delay any adoption of popular (if polarizing) shared mobility services like Lime or Bird. The Verge reports: The bill to legalize e-bikes and e-scooters was passed in June with overwhelming support, clearing the state Senate by a 56-6 margin and the state Assembly by a 137-4 margin. But state lawmakers reportedly waited to send the bill to Cuomo until this week out of concern that he would try to stand in the way of the proposal. Cuomo has voiced support for legalizing e-bikes and e-scooters in the past, but reportedly soured on the bill after he was criticized by one of its co-sponsors earlier this year.
While the bill would have broadly legalized both modes of transportation across the state, it was also designed to give cities control over e-bike and e-scooter sharing services. Cities would have been allowed to use permits as a tool to control the influx of these sharing companies, which would help prevent them from being inundated like some other cities around the world. It also would have given these local governments leverage to help negotiate their own regulations around shared e-scooters and e-bikes. Crucially, the bill would have helped take pressure off food delivery workers in New York City, many of whom use e-bikes to get around despite technically being illegal. Instead, those workers will continue to be subjected to $500 fines, confiscations, and occasional NYPD enforcement sweeps that at best feel like dog-and-pony shows and at worst unfairly target these workers.
While the bill would have broadly legalized both modes of transportation across the state, it was also designed to give cities control over e-bike and e-scooter sharing services. Cities would have been allowed to use permits as a tool to control the influx of these sharing companies, which would help prevent them from being inundated like some other cities around the world. It also would have given these local governments leverage to help negotiate their own regulations around shared e-scooters and e-bikes. Crucially, the bill would have helped take pressure off food delivery workers in New York City, many of whom use e-bikes to get around despite technically being illegal. Instead, those workers will continue to be subjected to $500 fines, confiscations, and occasional NYPD enforcement sweeps that at best feel like dog-and-pony shows and at worst unfairly target these workers.
Fuck Cummo... (Score:2, Informative)
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Forget those e-bikes! (Score:2)
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Re: Forget those e-bikes! (Score:4, Insightful)
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Re: Forget those e-bikes! (Score:1)
and you can't walk a block in most Califorian cities without tripping over three brands of e-scooters blocking the sidewalk.
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Is it the kind of pickup that you push with your feet, Fred Flintstone style?
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What you said lacks logic. Electric bikes can replace cars for short travels, small shopping lists, etc. which in turn means less pollution from fossil fuels.
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Electric bikes can replace cars for short travels, small shopping lists, etc. which in turn means less pollution from fossil fuels.
E-bikes would be even better for the environment if ambulances switched from gas to electric.
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I say we remove ambulances entirely.
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I hope that instead of developing competing and inferior vehicles, companies rather develop addon products for cyclists to make cycling more comfortable and exciting.
They did do this. They started with adding an internal combustion engine to add more power and range. Then they added more wheels for greater comfort and stability. Then they added a cabin to keep out the wind and rain. Then they added heating and cooling. Etc., etc., so on and so forth.
We have to conserve energy until we have a surplus in renewable energy.
You want people to listen to your demands to reduce their CO2 output? Then do it in a way that doesn't also require them to live like characters out of Little House on the Prairie.
We do this with nuclear power. You do
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But the high infant mortality rate means population growth slows down.
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Damn commie vehicles! (Score:2)
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You forgot the magic buzzword, disruption!
Wait, wtf? (Score:5, Funny)
Wear a fucking helment, assholes! (Re:Wait, wtf?) (Score:5, Insightful)
Electric scooters and bikes are illegal New York? "Hahahaha wtf?" - The rest of the fucking world
They are not illegal. What is illegal is riding them on public roads without a license, without registration, without a headlight, and without the rider wearing head and eye protection.
People should be able to legally rent these in scooter rental agreement, such as a bike share or whatever, but every bike/scooter/whatever would have to be registered and equipped with the proper safety gear like any other vehicles on the road. Anyone that pilots these vehicles would have to have a valid license to drive. If the vehicle is capable of exceeding 40 MPH then it is legally a motorcycle and that means it falls under stricter rules on safety. One such rules on safety is the operator must have a motorcycle endorsement on their license.
What's the problem here exactly? It sounds like people are breaking the law and then getting upset when they are caught. Maybe they can get some sympathy for having some disability, not making much money, or something similar. That still should not exempt them from following the law. Get the right kind of bike so it doesn't fall under the more expensive motorcycle designation, get it registered, keep your license current, and PUT ON A FUCKING HELMET YOU IDIOT!
One of my cousins drove a motorcycle for years without a motorcycle endorsement. He was never fined, never had his bike taken, and wasn't ever even stopped by police. How can this be? HE WORE A HELMET! He also drove safely, kept his bike in good shape, and obeyed every traffic law. Also, his bike was registered and had a proper license plate. What he didn't have was a license to drive it, at least not at first. The license required going to a licensing station when they held the rides for those licenses, which were not often. He felt he couldn't wait and so instead just drove anyway.
Driving a bike that has no registration, not obeying the traffic laws, and NOT WEARING A FUCKING HELMET, is just asking for heavy fines, confiscation of the bike, and all kings of trouble.
I remember looking into how many people there are driving cars in the USA without a license. The answer is nobody knows, but it is likely in the millions. How do they get away with this? They obey the laws, wear a seat belt, register the vehicle, and keep the vehicle in working order. Violate any of that and you are asking for getting fined, possibly arrested, and potentially the vehicle confiscated and then sold to pay your fines.
Electric scooters are not illegal in New York. What is illegal is riding them unsafely.
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While your opinion makes sense for electric scooters, it doesn't make sense for e-bikes.
E-bikes are like regular bicycles but they have a motor. Legally they cannot exceed 15MPH on motor power alone. Riding them is no less "safe" than riding a bicycle. There's no reason to make them illegal to ride without registration/etc. when bicycles are legal.
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While your opinion makes sense for electric scooters, it doesn't make sense for e-bikes.
E-bikes are like regular bicycles but they have a motor.
That makes them a moped, this means they are regulated like them.
To register a moped means they have to have a governor to limit them to under 20 MPH (which you explain is already the case), and they must have a headlight. It appears that this is a problem for many people. It shouldn't be a problem, I was able to find places that will sell headlight kits for mopeds/motorcycles/e-bikes for about $15 in just a few seconds of searching the internet.
Legally they cannot exceed 15MPH on motor power alone. Riding them is no less "safe" than riding a bicycle. There's no reason to make them illegal to ride without registration/etc. when bicycles are legal.
Which is why they aren't illegal, they are mopeds and are re
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That makes them a moped
Mopeds don't drive unless you pedal? Or does the word "moped" mean something different in English than in my native tongue?
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It is not possible to register them, so this is mere sophistry.
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It is not possible to register them, so this is mere sophistry.
It is possible to register them, the governor even said so. They can be registered as a moped.
That's like saying I can't register my car because it has broken headlights. Well, I could register it, but I'd have to fix the headlights first. These people can register their e-bike as a moped (because that is what they are), but it has to have a working headlight like any other vehicles on the road. To ride them legally the rider must have a license to drive, and wear the proper personal protection equipmen
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It is not possible to register them, so this is mere sophistry.
It is possible to register them, the governor even said so. They can be registered as a moped.
Then the governor is directly contradicting the NY DMV website. Motorized scooters and motor-assisted bicycles are both explicitly banned.
https://dmv.ny.gov/registratio... [ny.gov]
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every bike/scooter/whatever would have to be registered and equipped with the proper safety gear like any other vehicles on the road. Anyone that pilots these vehicles would have to have a valid license to drive.
So to summarize your whole response, New York is full of assholes. We already knew that though, so I'm not sure where the original confusion lies. People stopping other people from doing things that are perfectly safe in moderation, is an asshole move, and since New York is full of the aforementi
Re: Wear a fucking helment, assholes! (Re:Wait, wt (Score:2)
Re: Wear a fucking helment, assholes! (Re:Wait, wt (Score:2)
Your cousin is fairly stupid too. If they were unlicensed, they were also uninsured. If somebody had pulled out in front of them and caused an accident, your cousin would have taken the blame irrespective of fault due to their lack of license, and with no insurance, would have been taken to the cleaners on top of a criminal prosecution. Safe riding canâ(TM)t avoid all incidents.
Re: Wear a fucking helmet, assholes! (Score:2)
Your cousin is fairly stupid too.
I agree. If he was caught without a license for his bike then he could have lost his license to drive his car. Your point of not having insurance also applies.
Here's my point though, if you are going to drive without a license then at least don't advertise your unlawful behavior with illegal equipment. The cops are there to keep the roads safe, and some idiot driving some home brewed motorized abomination is not safe.
Modifying a bike to have a motor assist the pedaling is legal and can be registered as a
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sheesh, New York & NYC (Score:1)
Not illegal. (Re:sheesh, New York & NYC ) (Score:5, Insightful)
they sound more oppressive than Soviet Russia, glad i dont live there, i can understand wanting to keep the sidewalks clear of those rental scooters, but what about private ownership, what if i wanted to own my own scooter?
If you want your own scooter then you can have one. The problem with the rental scooters is that the riders rarely wear helmets, and often ride without a proper license.
The title is wrong, electric bikes are not illegal in New York. They can be operated legally on public roads but they have to be registered, have a headlight that comes on when moving, and unless licensed as a motorcycle (which is a different classification than "limited use" vehicles most scooters and e-bikes fall under) it must be incapable of traveling over 40 MPH. The rider must then wear head and eye protection while operating, obey all traffic laws, and hold a license to drive. Again, a motorcycle is a different legal category than these scooters and e-bikes, so they don't need a motorcycle endorsement but they still need a license of some type.
If a company wants to rent scooters in New York then that can work too. The rental company would have to keep the scooters properly equipped and registered, and have some measure of assurance that the people renting them are properly licensed and wear the proper protective gear.
What these laws wanted to do was have an exemption for wearing a helmet on these not-a-motorcycle two wheeled vehicles. In a nation that is trying to teach children to wear a helmet when riding a pedal bike then I can see why this change in the law was vetoed. They want people on pedal bikes and motorcycles to wear a helmet but not if they ride an e-bike. That does not make sense. This law should have been vetoed on that alone, but they had other unsafe measures in the law as well.
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The real issue is not the bike. (Score:2, Insightful)
The issue is that this petty politician is offended and acting out of spite. Pathetic.
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I guess the co-sponsor probably should've kept his/her big mouth shut then.
They should remain illegal (Score:1)
Re: They should remain illegal (Score:2)
It explains why e scooters are dangerous in the summary, helmets aren't required. Instead of banning e scooters, why not make helmets mandatory or finning those without helmets.
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Agreed, but many of these Darwin award contenders don't die and their extensive medical expenses are paid for by the taxpayer.
If we could put them down like a lame horse I'm all for it.
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It explains why e scooters are dangerous in the summary, helmets aren't required. Instead of banning e scooters, why not make helmets mandatory or finning those without helmets.
Electric scooters are legal in NYC, they simply must be designed for on-road use, have a seat for the operator, have a headlamp, as well as other safety features. The standing style scooters are illegal to operate on public roads, and they should be illegal as they are not designed for going at speeds safe for traffic, have no headlamps or tail lights, among other safety issues. The law would have changed the requirement for having a helmet, which is something I could see as a problem.
I was able to find m
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Thank you for protecting me from myself, mother.
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There is a federal law mandating that electric bicycles with a low enough output and a speed limiter (25 MPH with a 170lb rider, IIRC?) must be treated as bicycles. It even specifically says it overrides any state laws to the contrary.
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You've demonstrated you know nothing about California. For one thing, riding on the sidewalk is almost universally illegal here.
It's illegal in NY too.
Re: they arguably didn't make sense (Score:2)
"often ice covered"
Hwut?
Have you ever actually been to NYC?
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A governor with common sense (Score:1)
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Yes we have a new mode of transport that is convenient, cheap, low pollution and can make vastly more efficient use of roads than cars. It's definitely common sense to ban than because common sense says all must bow to the mighty car.
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And yet people still flock to it in hordes and the economy is booming and basically supports the freeloading red parts of the state.
For Climate Change? (Score:1)
Let me guess, this individual is for Climate Change while working against it.
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Two in a row and three the past few days (Score:2)
While this jerk deserves what he gets, the explosion in negative stories about him is driven by his political opponents who want him back out of the race as soon as possible.
There. Now you are woke.
Hate to agree... (Score:4, Insightful)
But as a former Segway employee, I do agree. I am familiar with far too many brain trauma cases due to lack of helmets. I totally think electric anything should be allowed, but for all that's holy, get helmets on users. Heck: my childhood buddy would likely still be alive had he been wearing one on his bike. And I have stories from Segway that have done nothing to make me consider changing my mind.
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Cuomo: Worst governor ever! (Score:1)