New York City has decided to stop issuing “criminal summonses” for traffic violations involving regular pedal bicycles and electric bicycles starting next weekend.
New York City Mayor Zoran Mamdani announced on the 18th, “We will stop issuing criminal summonses to riders of both regular pedal bicycles and electric bicycles starting on the 27th,” adding that “for minor traffic violations, only fine tickets will be issued, just like for car drivers.”
In New York City, there has been continuous dissatisfaction among delivery workers and others using bicycles, as failure to appear in court after receiving a criminal summons could result in the issuance of an arrest warrant or arrest. The minor traffic violations identified by Mayor Mamdani on this day included traffic signal violations, stop sign violations, and illegal zipping along city sidewalks. Meanwhile, the issuance of criminal summonses to cyclists in New York City is a policy ambitiously launched by Mayor Eric Adams last April.
Instead of issuing so-called “B-Summonses,” which allowed for the payment of a $190 fine or the attendance of a “virtual DMV hearing” to dispute the charges, the city has been issuing pink “criminal summonses” that require mandatory appearance in criminal court.
The traffic violations for which the NYPD issued criminal summonses were six types: reckless driving, alcohol or drugs driving, driving the wrong way, disobeying a red light, and failure to stop at a stop sign. Consequently, the number of ‘criminal summonses’ issued to bicycle riders in the second quarter of 2025 surged tenfold compared to the first quarter.