Cuomo Vetoes Bill to Legalize E-bikes Across State

Albany – A bill legalizing e-bikes that had widespread support in the legislature was struck down Thursday by Gov. Andrew Cuomo’s veto pen, with a memo saying that the law did not go far enough in instituting safety measures for bikers.

Under the legislation approved by the Senate and Assembly, electronic bikes and scooters would have been allowed on roads across the state, with an exception carved out for Manhattan. That borough was to have been subject to a separate permit process by the city.
Cuomo said in his veto message that the bill’s failure to mandate helmets and other safety measures meant that it was “fatally flawed.”

“The proposal contained a number of safety measures, including a lower speed limit, restrictions on where such e-bikes and e-scooters could be operated, a prohibition against operating while impaired by drugs or alcohol, a helmet requirement, mandatory front and rear lights, and a mandatory bell on each mode of conveyance,” Cuomo’s veto message read. “The Legislature’s proposal inexplicably omitted several of the safety measures included in the budget proposal. Failure to include these basic measures renders this legislation fatally flawed.”
Cuomo noted a recent incident in which a 16-year-old New Jersey boy was struck and killed by a tow truck making a turn while the victim was riding a Lime scooter.

The bill was introduced in the Senate by Sen. Jessica Ramos, one of the progressive class that came into Albany promises to shake up state government. The progressives cited the bill as a way to end car ridership and provide transportation to areas of the state that have few options.