The largest, fastest e-bikes may soon require a license and registration, according to a proposal made by Gov. Hochul in her annual State of the State plan Tuesday.
Hochul’s proposal would make the heaviest of the so-called “Class 3” e-bikes — which have handlebar throttles in addition to pedals and can travel at speeds of 25 mph or more — mopeds in the eyes of the law.
Any Class 3 bike weighing more than 100 pounds would be reclassified, requiring a driver’s license and registration — complete with license plates — according to the plan. Mopeds are also banned from operation in the city’s bike lanes.
Under city law, Class 3 bikes are limited to 25 mph, and riders are required to wear helmets. Other than that, though, the fast bikes are currently treated the same as slower Class 1 or Class 2 e-bikes — or traditional pedal-powered cycles — and are allowed in bike lanes.
Hochul’s proposal would also give city government the ability to lower the speed limit within bike lanes.
The proposed law change would not apply to any Class 3 bikes weighing less than 100 pounds, which would still be allowed in bike lanes and would not require a license or registration.
Twenty-four people were killed riding bikes in New York City last year, 17 of them on e-bikes.
That’s down from 2023, when 23 people died while riding e-bikes, more than three times the seven people who died that year on traditional, pedal-powered bicycles — a bleak statistic that sparked an NYC Department of Transportation public education campaign about the powered two-wheelers.
Hochul’s proposal comes amid efforts by some New York City Council members to require registration and licensing for all e-bikes regardless of weight or top speed.
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