REMARKS
Council Member Ariola challenges DOT Commissioner on e-bike safety and regulation
0:55:31
·
4 min
Council Member Joann Ariola strongly criticizes the Department of Transportation's stance on e-bike regulation, citing safety concerns and popular support for stricter measures. She argues for the necessity of registration, licensing, and insurance for e-bikes and other micromobility devices, while Commissioner Ydanis Rodriguez defends the DOT's current approach to safety and education.
- Ariola highlights higher fatality rates for scooter and pedestrian incidents compared to car accidents, according to NYPD statistics.
- The council member emphasizes the complementary nature of proposed bills aimed at improving safety for delivery workers and other e-bike users.
- Rodriguez counters by mentioning record-low pedestrian fatalities and the DOT's ongoing efforts in education and enforcement.
Joann Ariola
0:55:31
Thank you for coming, commissioner.
0:55:33
Thank you, chair, for the time.
0:55:35
Commissioner, I have to say that your opinions, the agency's opinions, your testimony here today seems to be widely unpopular with the entire panel.
0:55:48
It's also, according to my colleague, Bob Holden, the author and prime sponsor of this bill, it is unpopular with the administration because the mayor supports it.
0:55:59
It's also popular with the people.
0:56:02
What I see being heard here today are bills that complement each other.
0:56:06
They're bills that are that are built for safety.
0:56:10
Safety for the people you're talking about, the deliveryistas, and we'll use them as as an as an example.
0:56:17
According to NYPD stat, which does have the numbers for pedestrians, motorcycle, scooter, and vehicle fatalities, It shows that year to date, there are more fatalities for those people who are driving scooters, motorized, vehicles that are on 2 wheels, and pedestrians than there are for people who are driving a truck or a car.
0:56:47
The trucks and the cars are registered.
0:56:51
The mobility devices we're talking about that are riding on our sidewalks, going northbound on a southbound on a roadway, which I encountered the other day, and just riding in every lane except any lane they're supposed to be in, those are the ones that are at risk.
0:57:07
So we as a body, it's our job to make sure they're safe.
0:57:10
And it has been proven in other countries who have been using these type of mobility devices way longer than we have, that when they were registered, licensed, and insured, the fatalities went down.
0:57:24
It just makes sense.
0:57:26
We don't have to have anybody tell us that.
0:57:28
It just makes sense, and people are more accountable.
0:57:32
So you talk about enforcement on the one bill.
0:57:36
What is the capabilities of enforcement beyond telling people to call 311 and report it?
Ydanis Rodriguez
0:57:44
Well, last year, we had the lowest numbers of pedestrian fatality in New York City since we started collecting the data for the last 113 years.
0:57:57
We're working hard to, every year, continue doing everything using all the tools that we have in our box to reduce those numbers of fatality.
0:58:09
We work very close with the we have our Vision Zero task force, led by city hall, DOT, NYPD, Department of Health and other agency.
0:58:21
And every week, our team are planning new initiative.
0:58:24
Yes.
0:58:25
We do educational, but also we do enforcement.
0:58:28
We are here because we recognize that the the use of e bike, bike, scooter, will not leave New York City.
0:58:37
This is part of our city of our time.
0:58:40
That we need to focus on those cases where there's challenges that we can have to address it and we will continue doing education.
0:58:47
We have DOT has so many area that, you know, and as you know that you go over testimony.
0:58:52
We had a great educational team at DOT.
0:58:55
Those, you know, individual led by King, who go through the school, through senior center, who go and work with the deliberitas, educating.
0:59:04
But as you as we educate, we work with the NYPD to and for for enforcement too.
Joann Ariola
0:59:11
And I appreciate that.
0:59:12
But if people are still losing their lives, and as my colleague, council member Brewer said, the NYPD doesn't have the workforce to really get out there and and maintain and enforce what we're seeing.
0:59:25
We're seeing absolute chaos.
0:59:27
We're seeing illegal vendors, illegal motorbikes and scooters, uncertified lithium ion batteries.
0:59:33
They're exploding.
0:59:34
We're seeing chaos on the streets, and all we're asking for is registration, licensing, and insurance in addition to the other bills that are being heard today.
0:59:45
They complement each other.
0:59:47
And if you agree with 1, you can't disagree with another.
0:59:51
It saves lives.
0:59:52
It's been proven in other countries that are doing this much longer than us.
0:59:55
Thank you for the time.
Selvena N. Brooks-Powers
0:59:56
Thank you, council member council member Rivera.
