PUBLIC TESTIMONY
Testimony by Judy Paulson, Member of the Public
4:10:52
·
114 sec
Judy Paulson, a long-time New York resident, testified in support of Intro 606, urging for the licensing and registration of e-vehicles to increase accountability for reckless riders. She shared personal experiences and cited specific incidents to highlight the dangers posed by unregulated e-bikes and e-scooters.
- Emphasized the need for identifiable license plates on e-bikes and e-scooters to address hit-and-run incidents
- Discussed the fatal accident involving Lisa Banes as an example of the consequences of reckless e-vehicle use
- Argued that increased accountability would improve safety for both pedestrians and e-bike riders
Judy Paulson
4:10:52
Hello.
4:10:53
I am Judy Paulson.
4:10:54
I have lived in New York since since Christmas day of 1990.
4:10:58
As an unpaid volunteer, I thank you for holding this hearing.
4:11:02
I urge that 606 be passed and here is why.
4:11:05
Without licensing and registration of e vehicles, including ecity bikes, their drivers are almost completely unaccountable for hitting pedestrians because the drivers cannot be identified.
4:11:16
Even before COVID, I was frequently menaced on my work commute by bike drivers.
4:11:21
Now every time I leave my front door, I see bike drivers running red lights, riding against the flow of traffic, and riding on the sidewalks, all illegal but currently unaccountable behaviors.
4:11:32
In June 2021, Brian Boyd, a man in his twenties driving a motorized scooter, blew through a red light at Amsterdam Avenue at West 64th, steps from my apartment and fatally hit Lisa Banes.
4:11:44
He then fled the scene leaving her lying in the crosswalk to die.
4:11:49
He then drove to a shop that repaired his electric scooter while he drank a Heineken.
4:11:55
Yes.
4:11:55
He was caught, but only because his face was seen on security cameras on the NYCHA building at the intersection where he committed his heartless murder.
4:12:03
There are many people in this room, as you've heard, whose assailants were never identified, let alone caught.
4:12:09
You've heard much about the loss of Priscilla Look, a woman of color in whose memory this bill is named.
4:12:15
There are so many more examples.
4:12:18
Caring about the fact that e bikers are dying on these bikes too is the opposite of racist.
4:12:24
If ebike riders ride with more accountability due to plates, they are safer too.
4:12:30
We need an actual identifiable license plate on every ebike and e scooter.
4:12:35
We need Priscilla's law to be passed.
4:12:38
Some of us would just like to be able to go to the grocery store without being menaced by bullies on bikes.
4:12:43
This would be a start.
4:12:45
Thank you.
