DavriellelounaJul 14, 2025

New York City is holding a public hearing on Mayor Adams's controversial proposal to cap e-bike speed-limits at 15 mph. People can file a written comment until 5 p.m.

https://lemmy.world/post/32943819

New York City is holding a public hearing on Mayor Adams's controversial proposal to cap e-bike speed-limits at 15 mph. People can file a written comment until 5 p.m. 📢 - Lemmy.World

>New York City’s streets will become more dangerous with fewer people choosing to ride bicycles if Mayor Adams forges ahead with his 15-mile-per-hour speed limit for e-bikes, a former top city transportation policy official warned. >More than 300 people have already voiced their thoughts on the city’s online comment page — largely in opposition — including Michael Replogle, a former Department of Transportation policy director for six years under Mayor Bill de Blasio and DOT Commissioner Polly Trottenberg. >The speed cap will put cyclists in danger by forcibly slowing them down next to drivers in multi-ton SUVs and trucks, who cause virtually all traffic deaths and injuries, according to DOT data. >Motorists are to blame for virtually all traffic violence, but they will still be able to go up to 35 mph under Mayor Adams’s scheme – since speed cameras don’t issue violations until they exceed the city’s posted 25 mph speed limit by 10 mph. >Mayor Adams has peddled the lower speed limits arguing that the Vision Zero policy he inherited from his predecessor had focused on cars for “far too long,” despite car and truck drivers being responsible for 99.96 percent of reported traffic injuries [https://nyc.streetsblog.org/2025/06/10/now-do-cars-adams-and-council-push-for-e-bike-speed-limits-ignores-the-biggest-danger] https://nyc.streetsblog.org/2025/07/03/ex-dot-official-warns-nycs-counterproductive-e-bike-speed-limit-will-curb-biking-safety [https://nyc.streetsblog.org/2025/07/03/ex-dot-official-warns-nycs-counterproductive-e-bike-speed-limit-will-curb-biking-safety]

Show threadouthouseperilous
Love it here on /c/fuckbikes
Jul 14, 2025 at 2:21pmWeb
Show threadinfinitesunriseJul 14, 2025
This thread is full of people who have never been to NYC and think this cap is somehow a good idea.
Show threadouthouseperilousJul 14, 2025

It’s not even about nyc. Haven’t been there in a while myself.

Its about car brains who see cars as entitled and everything else as the enemy. The mods really need to get bulk bans going.

Show threadinfinitesunriseJul 14, 2025
I’m a former moderator of /r/nycbike on reddit and I can attest, a lot of cyclists hate ebikers because instead of seeing an ally against car culture they just see one more “other” with whom they have to compete for limited bike infrastructure space, who they feel goes too fast in those spaces, and they think isn’t enforced against enough. I hate to say it but just like most groups of people, a lot of cyclists aren’t able to step back and appreciate a shared struggle. They don’t realize that they’re doing the exact same thing to ebikers that car drivers do to them. They don’t realize that the limited space they’re fighting over is an arbitrary restriction. They don’t realize how legislating against ebikes is just a wedge, the tip of which is destined to cut them too once driven too far. So while I’m sure a lot of the detractors in this thread are legitimate car brains, I wouldn’t be surprised if just as many if not more of them are subscriber cyclists who maybe need a reality check.
Show threadouthouseperilousJul 14, 2025
Frustrated with the general overwhelming flood of car brains on every post here. How every comment is how bad cyclists are etc.
Show threaddrphungkyJul 15, 2025

That attitude is crazy prevalent. I ride an ebike in DC, and after passing a guy on his acoustic bike, he caught up to me to bikeshame me for riding “a motorcycle”, and complained how he almost gets run over by ebikes every day (I was nowhere near him, I think he thought he was being funny). Ok, sure dude. I’m sure it’s ebikers almost run over you every day, not the thousands of distracted drivers.

The worst part is the dude ran two stop signs to catch up to me, while wearing no helmet. I’ve never seen such a clear posengeur who couldn’t deal with being passed. I am not your safety problem, bro.

Show threadinfinitesunriseJul 16, 2025

complained how he almost gets run over by ebikes every day

Which is to say, he’s never been harmed by an ebike in his life. Notice how this anecdote perfectly mirrors stories from pedestrians about the number of times they’ve “almost been hit by cyclists” while meanwhile they’ve literally never been hit by a bike and are much more likely to get hit by a car.

Show threadhumanspiralJul 15, 2025
Is it a road speed limit? or a limit on bike power? If the former, it’s not so much an attack on micromobility. Can take the road to pass or go faster. The cars can physically do 120mph, but have NYC speed limits.
Show threadinfinitesunriseJul 15, 2025
It is the latter, a limit on bike power.
Show threadhumanspiralJul 15, 2025
read the proposal. It is definitely vague, but I think it means “normal” traffic speed limits.
Show threadinfinitesunriseJul 15, 2025

You’re right, it is indeed a legal speed limit and not a physical throttle requirement, thanks for getting me to actually scrutinize it. However I still strongly disagree that this is not an attack on micromobility: A 15 MPH cap is simply not safe for NYC streets where traditional cyclists, cars, trucks, busses, etc are all traveling > 20 MPH. This bill is designed to score quick points for Adams with reactionary New Yorkers who only encounter ebikes when they’re zooming down the sidewalk at the start or end of their trips. It will be selectively enforced, just like the existing ban on riding on the sidewalk is. A far better solution would be to just actually enforce the existing ban on sidewalk riding, and not selectively.

Conservative leaders in NYC pull shit like this all the time: Selectively / rarely enforce a sensible law -> Your voters think no such law exists because they continue to see violations -> Propose new law to “fix” the issue -> Easy votes from dum-dums -> Selectively / rarely enforce the new law -> Wash rinse repeat.

Show threaddrphungkyJul 15, 2025
It is a ROAD speed limit for ebikes. It’s like no one responding to you read the bill. It is not a mandated governor for ebikes, and has nothing to do with sidewalks or bike paths. The speed limit for cars is 25, for human powered vehicles is 25, but they want to limit ebikes because “they are heavier” and implied therefore more dangerous. It is a crazy bad law.