Council Member Aldebol asks about underage riders and e-scooter companies

Councilmember Aldebar, followed by Brooks Powers.

Good afternoon.

We're in the afternoon.

Okay.

Thank you for speaking today.

I have a, the issue in my district, I don't have e-bikes, share e-bikes in my district.

We have scooters and e-gliders, which I saw recently.

The big issue is that a lot of kids, underage children, are riding the e-bikes, e-scooters, riding them on the sidewalks, unsafely, without helmets.

Even your 16 and 17 year olds who

you know, are allowed to ride the e-scooters.

None of this is being enforced.

The age requirement is not being enforced.

Riding on the sidewalks is not being enforced.

It's a serious problem.

People are, you know, we get a tremendous number of complaints

through my office at every meeting that I go to, complaints about kids riding the e-bikes.

I'm not blaming all the issues on the kids, but it is a problem that is increasing and not being enforced.

You have two, sometimes three kids riding on a scooter at a time, weaving in and out of traffic, weaving in and out of pedestrian traffic on the sidewalks.

It's a serious problem.

Do you have any data or any way that we can have the e-scooter companies ensure that underage children are not riding

e-bikes or any way that...

We can enforce safety for these rideshare companies.

Because I blame the rideshare companies.

Somehow it's being allowed, and the rideshare companies are not doing anything about it.

And they don't care as long as they're making money.

So any recommendations or any data on this?

Thank you, Council Member.

So I think there's a couple of dimensions to that.

We've seen an increase in both privately owned as well as the shared micromobility.

Obviously, those have two kind of different...

solution, right, different approaches to how we might solve, if it's privately owned devices and parents are letting their kids do it, that's one thing.

Education for us would be a big piece.

For the shared programs, like the shared scooters, I'll just note, you know, that for City Bike you have to be 16 or older, and for the scooters share, you need to be 18 or older.

We talked earlier about the age verification, and as I mentioned then,

We're committed to finding a solution that can both ensure safety of young New Yorkers on our streets as well as their privacy.

So it's something we're certainly committed to, and we're actively working through some of those.

Thank you.

Sorry, Council Member, your time is up.

Sorry.

Okay.

Thank you.

Councilmember Brooks Powers, she's going to give her opening and then start the clock when she starts the questions, please.

So not yet.

Thank you.