ASTORIA – New York City Council Member Costa Constantinides, District 22, on June 25 issued the following statement on the City Council’s legalization of e-bikes and e-scooters:

“I am proud to be part of a City Council that continues to adapt and innovate based on the evolutions to our streetscape. E-bikes and e-scooters have become an environmentally friendlier way to meet the rush of meal delivery demands, first brought about by online-ordering apps and then the COVID-19 pandemic. They enable older delivery workers to make deliveries on time without putting their bodies on the line. I am thankful to our colleagues in Albany for earlier this year passing legislation that enabled us to take this vote today. 

“While this is no doubt a historic moment for New York City, this is just another step on a longer road toward street safety. The New York Police Department must release any e-bikes and e-scooters it confiscated before ending its crackdown on the vehicles in March. And we must continue to identify streets we can pedestrianize, invest in permanent bike infrastructure, and create more busways.”

Background: 

• Earlier this year, Constantinides called on the NYPD to impose a moratorium on confiscating e-bikes and e-scooters.
•  Though Governor Cuomo had vetoed a state legalization bill, Albany indicated the vehicles would be legalized this year. 
• Constantinides pushed the City to eventually freeze e-bike and e-scooter enforcement in mid-March, when COVID-19 precautions limited restaurants to delivery and take out. 
• He also called on the NYPD to release all confiscated e-bikes and e-scooters, which are often independently owned by delivery workers and serve as their primary source of income. 

Council Member Costa Constantinides represents the New York City Council’s 22nd District, which includes his native Astoria along with parts of Woodside, East Elmhurst, and Jackson Heights. He serves as the chair of the City Council’s Environmental Protection Committee and sits on three additional committees: Sanitation, Resiliency, and Technology.

For more information, visit council.nyc.gov/costa.