The Future of E-Bikes in New York
Do you ride an e-bike? Does your friend, your neighbor, your mom? If so, make sure you are paying attention to what is happening with e-bike laws in New York.
The New York Bicycling Coalition (NYBC) loves all cyclists - those operating under pure pedal power, and those getting a boost up the hill!
New Jersey recently passed a controversial law requiring licensing and registration for all e-bikes - even low-speed, pedal-assist bikes that look just like regular bikes. And it’s not just New Jersey - a slew of e-bike bills are being passed around the country, and several are before the NYS legislature right now.
In January the New York State Assembly Transportation Committee held a Public Hearing on E-Bikes. Questions from legislators made it clear that at least some of them are interested in exploring similar laws in New York - you can listen to the hearing here including testimony by NYBC Executive Director Anne Savage.
We think the testimony from us and other cycling advocates and active transportation leaders around the state made it clear that legal, low-speed e-bikes are affordable transportation and accessible recreation for New Yorkers - and for tourists who come to New York to ride - and that legislators should be very cautious about regulating them differently than they regulate regular bikes.
We appreciate that our legislature is hearing concerns about safety, and we want them to focus on common sense regulations - starting with making sure that they clearly differentiate between low speed, legal e-bikes that are legal to ride in New York and “e-motos” - bigger, heavier devices which are sometimes marketed as e-bikes but are already illegal on the roads and streets of New York.
And we’d like to ensure that low-speed legal e-bikes can be used throughout the state - did you know that right now it is technically illegal to ride an e-bike on any road or street in New York where the speed limit is 35 mph or higher? So you can legally ride your regular bike, but not your low-speed e-bike, on most of the roads in the Adirondacks!
Do you have thoughts about e-bikes and the laws that regulate them? Please share them at nybc@nybc.net subject “E-Bike Position”. We also welcome the opportunity to join your club or organization virtually or in person to discuss e-bike policy. We will be doing just that with Adirondack Cycling Advocates on Wed April 29 - save the date! Reach out to us to schedule something for your local organization at nybc@nybc.net.
