New Yorkers demanding action on illegal e-bikes

NEW YORK - New York City has seen an unprecedented surge in e-bikes, with an estimated 65,000 now traversing the city - more than anywhere else in the U.S. 

That explosion has come with concerns about safety and legality however, as hundreds of citizens gathered at a town hall in Kips Bay to confront the NYPD about a perceived lack of enforcement against illegal e-bikes, scooters, mopeds, and motorcycles. 

For Pamela Manasse, the issue is personal.

"A moped slammed into me, sending me up into the air flying and I came down and hit my head," she said.

Manasse was a cellist who was struck by a moped in July 2022 at a crosswalk near Lincoln Center. She suffered a traumatic brain injury and was left partially paralyzed.

Since her accident, Manasse, along with hundreds of other victims of collisions with e-bikes have made it their mission to get the vehicles, which they say are dangerous, off the streets.

Late Wednesday night, Assemblyman Alex Bores released a report revealing that from January 1, 2020 to July 19, 2023, e-bikes were involved in 2,254 collisions, resulting in 22 fatalities. Mopeds, in the same period, were linked to over 1,100 collisions and 11 fatalities. 

Bores emphasized that these numbers are likely an underestimate.

"We're seeing e-bikes grow, so it's important to get ahead of this problem and make sure they are safe now so it doesn't spiral," Bores said.

Following the meeting, the NYPD said that they hear the frustrations of New Yorkers and that they are going to do everything in their power to keep the streets as safe as possible.