Sen. Felder Introduces Legislation to Make Helmets, License Plates, and Safety Courses Mandatory for all Riders of Bikes and Scooters

By Yehudit Garmaise

     State Sen. Simcha Felder says that scooter and bicycle riders who are wearing helmets are automatically safer, and just as they do for cars, license plates can help the NYPD to identify reckless drivers for two-wheeled vehicles.

     After almost hitting a cyclist who shot out right in front of his car as he was driving down Coney Island Avenue between Avenues J and K last week, Sen. Felder decided right then and there to introduce four new bills to provide safer New York City streets.

     Sen. Felder’s first two bills require all New York City cyclists, bikers, and e-scooter rides of all ages wear helmets and to affix license plates on two-wheel vehicles.

      In addition, Sen. Felder is pushing two other bills that require riders of wheel vehicles to take safety pre-licensing courses and then obtain mandatory bicycle licenses before venturing out on the city streets.

       Mayor Bill de Blasio and Transportation Commissioner Hank Gutman have both previously expressed support for required bike licenses and license plates.

     Currently, city laws allow the NYPD to issue $50 tickets for scooter and bike riders who are not wearing helmets, but, without license plates, those laws are very hard to enforce because riders are very hard to identify, said Sen. Felder told BoroPark24.

     In addition to helping to enforce helmet laws, license plates on two-wheeled vehicles can help to protect pedestrians.

     “If someone on a motorized bike bicycle knocks someone over, kills that person, and drives away, as just happened to a woman last Friday on the Upper West Side, no one knows who can determine who the driver was without a license plate.”

     “Everyone can see that the streets are like a free for all,” Sen. Felder said. “The Mayor’s Vision Zero is ‘Zero Vision.’ Mayor Bill de Blasio has allowed many different modes of transportation to take over the city streets without any sort of responsibility or accountability.

     Lastly, Sen. Felder said that in a busy place like New York City, drivers of all types of vehicles should first have an education on how to use the city streets before being allowed to travel on them.

     “If you stopped half or more of the scooter riders in the city, they would not know the rules of the road," he said. "They have to know what the rules are, especially when they are flying down the street at 30 miles per hour."