Skip to Content
Streetsblog New York City home
Streetsblog New York City home
Log In
Bicycling

Why You Should Care About de Blasio’s E-Bike Crackdown

As of the first of this month, Mayor de Blasio's e-bike crackdown is officially underway.

E-bikes are legal to own but not to operate on city streets. Prompted mainly by complaints about e-bike riders aired on WNYC, de Blasio decided last year to make a show of getting tough, supposedly by fining the restaurants that employ workers on e-bikes.

But since most delivery workers operate as independent contractors and own their bikes, the stops are expected to cost individuals hundreds, maybe thousands, of dollars in fines and lost property. For undocumented immigrant workers, the arrests could even lead to deportation.

De Blasio's decision to create a spectacle of penalizing delivery workers is getting attention in the national press. Now, an installment of "Why You Should Care" from YouTuber Rina Krack succinctly conveys what's wrong in a five-minute explainer:

Krack doesn't mince words. "Cars are the number one cause of injury and death on the streets of New York, not immigrants trying to deliver your Tom Yum," she says. "In a notoriously-congested city like New York, encouraging e-bike use and protected cycling infrastructure is absolutely essential."

Stay in touch

Sign up for our free newsletter

More from Streetsblog New York City

Tuesday’s Headlines: Show Me Your Plate Edition

The city tightened its rules targeting drivers who block their license plates. Plus more news.

March 18, 2025

Manhattan Community Boards Unite in Call for 34th St. Busway

The leaders of Manhattan Community Boards 4, 5 and 6 want Mayor Adams to put a busway on "the entire length" of 34th Street.

March 18, 2025

Culture of Can’t: What Happened to Mayor Adams’s Promise for Secure Bike Parking?

Will the city's first real safe bike parking project flounder?

March 17, 2025

Monday’s Headlines: Don’t Kill Congestion Pricing Edition

The Trump administration's faux deadline for New York to turn off congestion pricing is this Friday. Plus more news.

March 17, 2025

Mayor Adams Abruptly Calls Off Planned Queensboro Bridge Pedestrian Path Opening

The Queensboro Bridge's long-awaited pedestrian path was in the works to open this weekend — until Mayor Adams intervened.

March 14, 2025
See all posts