> Work within the law? The law in New York State and City on e-bikes is a patchwork full of conflicting dead ends. I agree it's confusing. But out of that confusion and morass of laws comes the realization that pedal-assist bikes ARE legal in NYC. The DeBlasio and Trottenberg have also (grudgingly) admitted so as well, and suggested they will direct NYPD to not ticket them. And e-bike shops selling pedal-assist e-bikes don't get fined either (or successfully fight the fines). This is by far the best write-up I've seen on the issue, by a lawyer: http://www.citylandnyc.org/scooters-hoverboards-bicycles-whats-legal/ The basic point is: for much of the Vehicle & Traffic Code, NYC makes its own laws. For example, turn on red is allowed in NYS but not in NYC. And NYC has outlawed "motorized scooters" --- a category that covers e-bikes with throttles but not pedal-assist bicycles, since they require SOME human power to move. There is work to improve a
For the past thee years, there has been an effort to legalize E-bikes of Class 1, 2 and 3 across all of New York State. [Reminder: Class 1=20mph pedal assist, class 2 = 20mph with throttle, class 3 = 20mph with throttle, up to 28mph pedal assist.] These efforts failed, in large part due to concerns by residents and officials in New York City --- where currently, class 2 e-bikes are widely used by delivery workers, but there is a lot of friction over the issue. This year, New York Bicycle Coalition is pursuing a Class 1 only strategy, which would legalize only pedal-assist e-bikes statewide. To some who might have hoped for legislation legalizing class 2 and 3 e-bikes a well, this might seem like somewhat of a let-down. However, I have come to believe the loss of class 2 and 3 is no more than a minor inconvenience, if that. Why Not Class 2 The simple reason is because there is public perception and political pressure against throttles. This may be due to misinformation --- f