After months of indecision, New York appears to be on the cusp of allowing scooter-sharing companies to operate on its roads. Bird and Lime are two of the leading companies in the dockless electric scooter wave that has been taking over the nation.
New York E-Bike Legalization
Albany Lawmakers have reached a deal that would lift the ban on throttle-based scooters and bikes. If Governor Andrew Cuomo signs off on the new initiative, New Yorkers may soon see the electric-powered vehicles cruising around with the exception of Manhattan.
The bill would alter state law to legalize e-bikes and scooters and would be legal statewide. Cities will have to decide whether they want to opt-in and would give localities the opportunity to decide how to regulate the vehicles. Senators from New York believe the devices are unsafe in the most congested part of the city (these same lawmakers have proposed no such restrictions on the most unsafe devices currently on our roads; car and truck operators killed 200 people last year in New York City compared to zero killed by scooter riders).
As mentioned the only exception to the e-scooter program would be Manhattan, which would please lawmakers who opposed legalizing scooters for reasons of safety reasons.
The governor is still reviewing the latest proposal but Cuomo seems to support legalizing e-scooters and bikes.
The transition won’t be swift. The city still needs to work out its own set rules and regulation for scooter companies. Pilot programs and a permitting process are some of the requirements New Yorkers can anticipate going through to be able to ride around on e-scooters.
