While New Yorkers wait to see whether Governor Andrew Cuomo will sign or veto legislation that would legalize e-scooters and e-bikes in the state before the new year begins, cyclists have already received a small gift this holiday season, thanks to the City Council.
As of December 20, cyclists will have an extra few precious seconds to cross intersections that have Leading Pedestrian Intervals (LPIs), which allow pedestrians to cross the road before vehicular traffic. That means that cyclists will look to the pedestrian signals, not the traffic lights, when crossing busy intersections with LPIs.
Of course, the law (and proper NYC bike etiquette) requires that cyclists yield to pedestrians when crossing with the LPI.
Here's what it looks like in action:
The law's lead sponsor was Brooklyn Councilmember Carlos Menchaca, whose Sunset Park district saw three cyclists fatally struck by drivers in 2019. Eighteen of the 29 cyclists killed on New York City streets this year—nearly triple the number that died last year—were killed in Brooklyn. Last year, two cyclists were fatally struck in Brooklyn.
The state legislation that would legalize e-bikes and e-scooters overwhelmingly passed both houses this past summer, and is sponsored by Queens State Senator Jessica Ramos and Queens Assemblymember Nily Rozic. Currently, immigrant delivery cyclists who use throttle-based e-bikes are subject to $500 fines for utilizing what is essentially the same kind of technology that Citi Bike, Amazon, UPS, and other companies employ to make deliveries.
Governor Cuomo has indicated that he is wary of signing the bill because he considers the devices unsafe, but on Tuesday he called it up from the legislature. If Cuomo does not sign the bill before the new year, it will expire.
