Epstein asks panel to address electric-assist safety concerns
Epstein notes recent e-bike safety hearings and resistance from DOT to allowing more electric assist. Winter says pedicabs need torque, not speed, average 6–10 mph in Central Park, and the industry has never had a pedicab-caused fatality; Camara says drivers need help, not speed.
And I know Councilman Brewer has a question.
There's one more, just around the electric assist issue, because we've heard concerns.
We had a hearing, I think it was last week, I think it was, on e-bikes and e-bike safety and the proliferation of the problems in the city.
And so there's real resistance.
We've heard from DOT by allowing more.
Bikes to have electric assist.
How do we respond to those safety concerns if we allow electric assist in this industry?
To answer, Kenny is going to go ahead after you.
So really, for example, for us people that work in the park, for us it's really more of a torque thing, more an assistance.
There's not a real speed issue going on with pedicabs when it comes to Central Park, for example.
The only thing that I'm concerned about when it comes to people driving a pedicab with an electric scissor, again, most of the guys that are in the Midtown area, the Times Square area, you know, over by Empire State Building and so on, they do a lot of these donuts
on the thing.
Now, the industry has been around for 32 years.
We've never had a fatality caused by a pedicab.
We have a perfect safety record when it comes to this.
that the only time there's ever been a tragedy was caused by a reckless driver on 42nd Street, and that had nothing to do with the driver's operation of the vehicle.
I think that the 750 thing would be perfect because, I mean, really, it's really more about torque, not really about speed.
At least my maximum speed has been 14 miles an hour, and that's me trying really hard to do it.
Our average speed in Central Park, for example, is anywhere from 6 to 10 miles an hour.
And so because we're doing tours, you know.
Yeah, and I just can't even say it.
We're not looking for speed, you know.
Again, we do a tour.
People want to see things.
And so our concern is not about 15, 20 miles per hour.
If you can even go five miles per hour, that would be fine.
Because people pay a lot of money to come to New York.
They want to see things.
And we have people here like 67 years old, 60 years old.
They're not looking for speed.
They just need help because if you have to pull three people.
And again, you know, most major cities now in everywhere, Asia, Africa, Europe, they have electric assist except New York City, which is the best city in the world.
And they still not allow us to use that.
And that's kind of something need to be changed.
All of the bikes have it or nearly all the bikes already have it.
And all that's happening is people like Kenny are having their bikes confiscated, having their lives impacted.
But it doesn't actually change whether.
The drivers are driving with pedal assist.