Council Member Restler discusses rise in injuries and his bills

We have seen a significant rise in injuries and deaths associated with high-speed e-bikes and mopeds on the streets of New York City in recent years.

While cars remain far and away the number one cause of injuries and fatalities on our streets, a true Vision Zero approach requires us to tackle safety from all angles.

Like Councilmember Brewer noted, issues relating to e-bikes and safety on our streets is one of the issues that I hear about most frequently from constituents.

My dad, who is 80, who is in great shape, rides a bike often, often talks to me about walking out the door of his home and silent e-bikes coming up on the sidewalks or around corners that

are unnerving, if not outright scary.

Delivery companies have unfortunately created an incentive model that rewards drivers to deliver goods as quickly as humanly possible.

Those delivery apps profit

It more when drivers drive illegally.

It endangers the deliveristas, not to mention the pedestrians and cyclists in our community.

I've introduced legislation that requires delivery companies to track driver routes and report when they drive the wrong way down a one-way street or on the sidewalk.

Drivers would have to take a road safety course if they have multiple violations in a week.

We need to shift the paradigm and make sure that this is no longer a business model that encourages illegal driving practices.

I also have another bill, Intro 389, that would require all third-party food delivery services to ensure that mopeds used by their workers are legal and properly registered before they hit the streets.

These vehicles are required to be registered, and just like Lyft and Uber ensures that their rideshare drivers are in vehicles that are properly registered and licensed, delivery apps should have the same responsibility.