Antonio Reynoso testifies on micromobility safety and car culture

Good afternoon.

Good afternoon, Chair.

Good afternoon.

I thought I was going to have more people in the panel, but it's all right.

I am Antonio Reynoso, and I'm currently the president of the greatest borough in the city of New York, which is Brooklyn, and I'm happy to be here.

To those that don't agree, you're welcome.

This is a very serious day, and I don't mean to open it up in jest, but this year about 149 people have died in crashes in New York City streets.

Zero of those people have been killed by e-bikes or e-scooters.

Generally, e-bikes and e-scooters and mopeds are responsible for 5% of pedestrian injuries and 5% of pedestrian fatalities.

That means 95% of pedestrian injuries and fatalities are caused by cars.

Yet, here we are, have a hearing with 21 bills aimed at regulating e-bikes and e-scooters, as well as mopeds, which are already illegal.

None are about regulating dangerous driving, and only two are about infrastructure.

Meanwhile, important safety bills like universal daylighting still haven't been passed.

When was the last time the City Council held a hearing with 21 bills aimed at improving street safety and curbing dangerous driving?

Some of the bills being heard today will be helpful.

We should focus regulating on businesses that sell e-bikes and app companies that incentivize unsafe practices.

But instead, too many of the bills rely on enforcement that will absolutely be carried out in a discriminatory way that punishes people of color and workers who are just trying to get around the city to do their jobs.

Every major city has tried to pass bike licensing bills, has either repealed it or decided not to try it in the first place because it has failed so often.

It's unwielding, it's expensive, and it gives police another excuse to target people of color.

The idea of getting police to report on targeted traffic enforcement is a joke and half-stepping measures like writing look up on streets just blame pedestrians for getting themselves hit.

What we need instead is to end car culture.

The council should support the admin.

in actually implementing the streets plan and making real infrastructure improvements.

Thank you.

Your time is up, our president.

Thank you.

Thank you so much for your time.

Please keep it down in the chambers.

All right, our next panel is Jonathan Cohen, Ben Furness, Griffin Schnitzner, or Griffel, my apologies, Andrew Bonamedi, and Ali Azumro.

Ben, you may begin.