New York Moves To Ban Sales Of Motorcycle-Speed E-Bikes

That e-bike flying past you at high speeds could soon be banned in New York.

New York lawmakers want to ban the sale of high-speed electric vehicles that are being marketed as regular e-bikes.

New York Wants To Ban The Sale Of High-Speed Electric Bikes

a bicycle parked on the side of a road — Photo by Team Evelo on Unsplash

If you've ever been on a bike path and had what looked like an e-bike blow past you at motorcycle speed, a new bill in New York is designed to address that problem.

The reason it's being introduced right now is as serious as it gets.

New York State Senator Kristen Gonzalez and Assemblymember Diana Moreno have introduced Senate Bill S.10700, which would ban the sale of so-called "e-motos," high-speed electric two-wheelers capable of exceeding 50 mph that are currently being sold and marketed as ordinary e-bikes.

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The bill creates a formal legal definition for e-motos as any electric two-wheeler that travels over 20 mph, doesn't qualify under existing law as a standard e-bike or e-scooter, and isn't registered with the DMV.

This follows a fatal head-on collision on the Queensboro Bridge bike path, where an illegal high-speed electric vehicle traveling inside a narrow pedestrian and cyclist lane struck a conventional bicycle and killed two people.

a person riding a bike — Photo by G-FORCE Bike on Unsplash

Under the proposal, both online and brick-and-mortar retailers would be banned from selling these vehicles to New York buyers, with civil penalties up to $1,000 per violation.

Deceptively marketing a 40 or 50 mph electric motorcycle as an e-bike would also be explicitly prohibited. Sellers would be required to post clear warnings that e-motos cannot legally be ridden on public roads, bike lanes, or sidewalks anywhere in the state.

Supporters of the bill, including the New York Bicycling Coalition, argue that the problem needs to be stopped at the point of sale rather than on the street after the fact.

If it's illegal to ride on public roads, the argument goes, it shouldn't be legal to sell to the public.

black dslr camera on black tripod — Photo by Markus Spiske on Unsplash

Lawmakers are also clear that this isn't an attack on standard e-bikes. The target is the unregulated, uninsured, motorcycle-speed vehicles that are currently exploiting a legal gray area to get onto bike paths and sidewalks where they don't belong.