New York City has launched a crackdown on e-bikes exceeding 15 mph.
According to the city, the speed limit for e-bikes will be lowered from 25 mph to 15 mph starting on the 24th. The crackdown applies to e-bikes, pedal-assist bicycles, and e-scooters. Regular bicycles, which use only pedals and do not have an electric motor, are exempt from the speed limit.
Violators caught violating the regulations face a minimum fine of $100. Repeat violators may also be subject to criminal summonses, including confiscation of the e-bike and removal from the delivery platform.
In June, New York City reached an agreement with Lyft, the operator of the bike-sharing service Citi Bike, to lower the speed limit for Citi Bike electric bikes (e-bikes) to 15 miles per hour. According to the city, this e-bike speed limit change led to an 18% decrease in traffic fatalities in New York City between January and September of this year, with 159 fatalities compared to 194 in the same period last year.
Meanwhile, according to MTA data, from 2021 to 2024, six people died and 923 were injured in collisions involving e-bikes and pedestrians.