The NYPD has begun a large crackdown on e-bike riders caught rushing and violating site visitors legal guidelines, Police Commissioner Jessica Tisch mentioned Friday.
For the reason that operation started on April 28, cops have handed out 916 felony court docket summonses in opposition to wayward e-bikers — almost double the quantity that was given out all final yr, the NYPD mentioned.
“We are cracking down on e-bikes largely because we have gotten so many community complaints,” Tisch mentioned throughout an look on Fox 5’s “Good Day NY” Friday. “Every New York has had the experience of jumping out of the way or getting their kids out of the way of these e-bike riders.”
The enforcement was first reported on StreetsBlog NYC. Biking advocates say that the draconian crackdown was carried out with none public discover and that pedal bike riders are being swept up on this unprecedented dragnet.
Cops started by specializing in closely traveled bike routes like Second Ave. in Manhattan and Flatbush Ave. in downtown Brooklyn, Tisch mentioned in an op-ed launched Thursday.
“We are cracking down and doing enforcement on the basic rules of the road — going too fast, running lights, going the wrong way,” Tisch defined. “Bikes are an important transportation method, but it doesn’t work without meaningful enforcement so they follow the basic safety rules.”
As a substitute of the normal site visitors ticket, the e-bike riders caught violating automobile site visitors legal guidelines are being given a felony court docket summons.
Bicycling advocacy group Transportation Alternate options, which has mentioned the NYPD is unfairly concentrating on cyclists “where the punishment in no way equals the crime,” slammed the transfer on Friday.
“It’s alarming that a policy change that was snuck in without public notice has already escalated to become a massive crackdown,” mentioned Ben Furnas, the group’s govt director.” Giving felony summonses to a whole lot of cyclists each week does nothing to make our streets safer. Drivers are nonetheless getting tickets for a similar offenses, regardless of placing pedestrians at far more threat than cyclists ever might. This coverage is an egregious overreach, and we name on elected officers to demand the NYPD reverse it instantly.”
Tisch mentioned the NYPD switched to felony court docket summonses as a result of the site visitors tickets — which might result in one shedding their driver’s license in the event that they’re ignored — simply weren’t efficient on e-bike riders.
“They were nonsense and meaningless to e-bike riders, so we are now giving them criminal summonses for the reckless driving of e-bikes,” she mentioned.
Theodore Parisienne / New York Each day Information
NYPD Commissioner Jessica Tisch.(Theodore Parisienne / New York Each day Information)
