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BIKERS could be hit with new security requirements under the proposed “Priscilla’s Law” as officials crack down on e-bikes.
New York City lawmakers are discussing a proposal that will soon require e-bikes and e-scooter riders to get them to be licensed to improve regulations.
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Currently, e-bikes are not regulated by the New York State Department of Motor Vehicles.
But the newly proposed bill would soon require “every bicycle with electric assist, electric scooter, and other legal motorized vehicle that is not otherwise required to be registered with the DMV, to be registered with DOT and receive an identifying number which would be displayed on a visible plate affixed to the vehicle”, according to he city council.
Lawmakers in favour of the bill say this will make the streets safer for riders and make bikers more accountable.
However, critics argue that the law would be too expensive to implement.
The law, dubbed “Priscilla’s Law,” is named after Priscilla Loke, who was killed in September 2023 after she was struck by an e-bike while walking to work in Chinatown.
City Councilman Robert Holden, who sponsored the bill, spoke out about the dangers of e-bikes riding on sidewalks, going the wrong way, and leaving the scene of accidents, CBS reports.
Holden added: “Red light cameras and speed cameras are important, so we’re gonna use that technology, plus police officers. What else can we do? I’d like to hear solutions from anybody else out there who says ‘I don’t want license plates.”
According to the Consumer Product Safety Commission, e-bikes and e-scooters caused nearly 250,000 emergency room visits and 215 deaths nationwide from 2017 to 2022.
It is understood the bill is still in the early stages, and many aspects of it still need
It likely will be months before a vote is held on the proposal.
Janet Schroeder, co-founder of the New York City E-Vehicle Safety Alliance, said: “Priscilla Loke was killed. There’s never any accountability. Riders flee 90% of the time.”
