New York City will no longer pursue criminal charges against e-bike riders and cyclists for low-level traffic offenses.
Beginning March 27, the New York City Police Department policy under the prior administration of issuing criminal summonses to e-bike riders and cyclists for low-level traffic offenses will be rescinded, Mayor Zohran Mamdani announced on Wednesday.
Under that policy, riders could be criminally charged for minor violations such as disobeying a stop sign — forcing them to appear in criminal court, with failure to appear risking a bench warrant or arrest. These violations will instead be addressed through the same civil summons process as motorists. The change ensures accountability while ending a punitive system that has disproportionately burdened working New Yorkers, he said.
“Every New Yorker on our roads, whether driving or biking, deserves to be treated fairly. By ending criminal summonses for low-level traffic offenses, we’re ensuring cyclists and e-bike riders — including those who deliver our food and groceries — are treated like others on the road,” Mamdani said in a statement.
At the same time, the Department of Transportation will launch a safety training program for delivery workers and work with the City Council to pursue legislation to address unsafe practices by third-party delivery app companies, or practices that often incentivize dangerous riding through unrealistic delivery times.
Proposed legislation will require delivery platforms to share trip-level data with DOT to inform safer delivery standards and comply with those standards. The city will also seek authority to mandate enhanced training for delivery workers who repeatedly engage in unsafe riding behavior.
The city will launch an enhanced safety training program in April for all bicycle and e-bike delivery workers. The program — accessible online through secure accounts and available in six languages — will cover workers’ rights and responsibilities, safe e-bike and bicycle operation and traffic laws. The DOT will oversee compliance and implement the program in partnership with delivery worker advocates to ensure that trainings are completed and workers’ rights are protected in the process, officials said.
“The end of criminal enforcement for minor traffic offenses for cyclists and e-bike riders is a major step forward," said Ligia Guallpa, executive director of Workers Justice Project / Los Deliveristas Unidos. "For too long, app delivery companies have built business models that push workers to speed, work long hours and ride in unsafe conditions — making delivery one of the most dangerous jobs in New York City. One in five delivery workers has been injured on the job, and half have experienced accidents while working."
Lyft, the operator of Citi Bike, will also introduce hardware upgrades that deter multiple riders on a single bike and to amplify a forthcoming education and safety campaign in collaboration with Transportation Alternatives.
