PUBLIC TESTIMONY
Testimony by Joan Marie Zimmerman, Opera Singer and Voice Teacher, on E-bike Safety
6:28:17
·
115 sec
Joan Marie Zimmerman, an opera singer and voice teacher, shared her personal experience of being hit by an e-bike while cycling, resulting in severe injuries. She expressed support for stricter regulations on e-bikes, specifically mentioning Priscilla's Law.
- Zimmerman has been cycling for 35 years in various cities, including New York
- She suffered multiple injuries from an e-bike collision, including a broken tibial plateau and blood clot
- She emphasized the need for e-bike riders to obey traffic laws and be held accountable, comparing the situation to stricter enforcement in Austria
Joan Marie Zimmerman
6:28:17
Hi.
6:28:17
My name is Joan Marie Zimmerman.
6:28:19
I'm an opera singer and a voice teacher.
6:28:23
I've been driving a bike human powered, for about 35 years as my main mode of transportation in Hamburg, Germany, in Vienna, Austria, and in New York City.
6:28:37
I taught at LaGuardia High School for about 17 years, and now I teach singing at Kaufman Cultural Center.
6:28:45
On my way to Carnegie Hall, I was waiting for the light on my bike to turn green.
6:28:53
I proceeded and an ebike sped and t boned me, trying to get through all the pedestrians and me.
6:29:03
I had a broken tibial plateau, a ruptured Baker's cyst, a torn meniscus, and ultimately a blood clot.
6:29:13
I had to take Eliquis, which created brain fog and vertigo.
6:29:18
I've been dealing with this for about a year.
6:29:20
It happened on December 7th,
Selvena N. Brooks-Powers
6:29:24
2023.
Joan Marie Zimmerman
6:29:27
My feeling is there's a fundamental disregard for the law in New York and a fundamental disregard for human life in New York.
6:29:37
When these and these people that ride the e bikes need to obey the law the same as everybody.
6:29:46
And in Austria, for example, if one runs a light, one is accountable and they wait for the lights.
6:29:56
Here, we we we run through them, and we need to do something, and I am in support of Priscilla's Law.
Selvena N. Brooks-Powers
6:30:05
Thank
UNKNOWN
6:30:12
you.
6:30:12
Thank you for this opportunity to speak in support of Priscilla's Law.
