REMARKS
Council Member Paladino expresses concerns over e-bike and scooter regulations
0:41:09
·
4 min
Council Member Vickie Paladino strongly criticizes the current state of e-bike and scooter usage in NYC, emphasizing safety concerns and the need for stricter regulations. Commissioner Ydanis Rodriguez responds by highlighting the complexities of managing transportation in a dense city with diverse needs.
- Paladino argues for simplifying regulations and holding e-bike and scooter users accountable
- She expresses concern over the impact on pedestrians, buses, and truck drivers
- Rodriguez defends the need for balanced street usage, citing delivery demands and the city's density
Vickie Paladino
0:41:09
Good afternoon.
Ydanis Rodriguez
0:41:10
Good afternoon.
Vickie Paladino
0:41:11
I wanna credit, my 2 colleagues here who just spoke, of course, Bob Holden and Cristy Marmorado.
0:41:19
I don't wanna waste any time because the clock is ticking and as soon as that bell rings, I get cut off.
0:41:24
So let's make this real quick and real easy.
0:41:28
This is probably the most simplistic, common sense, simple bill that we need passed.
0:41:37
I do not understand why we have to complicate the mere fact that these motorized vehicles have taken over our streets.
0:41:47
Every borough, I do not understand, excuse me, Bob, how that bottom poster right there, 2 lanes with a corral of bicycles, helps our buses to make their wide turns, help our truck drivers who have to deliver and make deliveries in our city.
0:42:05
How does this work?
0:42:07
How does that help a pedestrian who's trying to cross a street?
0:42:12
These scooters are running rampant all over, unlicensed, unregistered, uninsured.
0:42:18
The city, the people of this city have spoken.
0:42:22
They do not like it.
0:42:24
We don't like what has happened to every single street.
0:42:27
Now I need to know, when you've mentioned when you mentioned about taking Bob's bill here and making some alterations to it, What alterations do you wanna make to a simple bill that only requires that people are held responsible?
0:42:44
Christie brought up a good point.
0:42:46
I have it in my district too.
0:42:48
They're riding on the on the sidewalks.
0:42:50
They have taken full advantage.
0:42:53
And as far as our delivery people go, well, you know what?
0:42:57
Our pizza places used to hire delivery boys or girls to deliver food.
0:43:02
I don't wanna hear about this other stuff that we are being racially this has become a black and white issue.
0:43:09
This is baloney.
0:43:10
You're taking transit and making it a racial issue?
0:43:14
Absolutely not.
0:43:15
This is safety issue.
0:43:17
We don't like it.
0:43:18
We don't want it.
0:43:19
And we wanna change.
0:43:21
If we're stuck with it, big changes has got to happen.
0:43:24
Thank you very much, everybody.
Ydanis Rodriguez
0:43:26
So New York City is the most dense city city in the whole nation.
0:43:33
New York City is a place only composed by 350 square mile.
Vickie Paladino
0:43:39
Yeah.
0:43:39
We know that.
UNKNOWN
0:43:40
Let me
Ydanis Rodriguez
0:43:40
let me answer the let me ask hold it.
Vickie Paladino
0:43:42
That's the whole point that we
Ellen Sandles
0:43:43
don't need.
0:43:43
Sergeant,
Selvena N. Brooks-Powers
0:43:46
if you've observed someone that has had an outburst just now, please have them removed.
0:43:52
We will have order in this chamber today.
0:43:55
Thank you.
0:43:56
Council member, if you could wrap up with your question.
Vickie Paladino
0:43:59
As soon as, because I will have further once the commissioner's
Selvena N. Brooks-Powers
0:44:02
You could come back to the 2nd round.
0:44:04
We have other members that need to ask questions, and we have over 400 people who have signed up to testify today.
0:44:09
And I hope that you're gonna stay with me.
Ydanis Rodriguez
0:44:13
So, chair, as I was saying, those bicycle that you see there parking near the bike lane, those are the same workers that they're getting ready to deliver the food for someone that got to the apartment and placed the order through on one of those apps.
0:44:30
As I was saying and it is important that we all have context in this conversation.
0:44:35
So I say New York City is a place of only 350 square mile of 8,600,000 people, 62,000,000 visitors came here last year, Construction going on all over the places.
0:44:47
And we also have 80% of New Yorkers are placing an order once a week.
0:44:52
And 24% of New Yorkers are placing the order 4 times a week to deliver from Amazon, UPS, FedEx and also and also to get our food.
0:45:02
So the street doesn't belong only for people that own vehicles.
0:45:06
The street is a public access and it is our responsibility under the charter New York City to manage our 26% of the line to give you space for the safe and efficient moving of people and vehicle.
0:45:20
And e bike, regular bike, scooter, they are in the city.
0:45:24
Our job is to make those small percentage reckless accountable and to work with those company for them also to do their job.
