PUBLIC TESTIMONY
Testimony by Seth Jacobson, 40-year Resident of New York City, on E-bike Safety and Regulation
3:47:23
·
136 sec
Seth Jacobson, a long-time New York City resident and cyclist, testifies about the safety concerns surrounding e-bikes and the need for stricter regulation. He emphasizes the difficulty pedestrians face in detecting and avoiding e-bikes, particularly those operating recklessly.
- Advocates for implementing license plates and registration for e-bikes to improve accountability and enforcement
- Shares personal observations of numerous traffic infractions by e-bike riders over the past five years
- Draws a comparison between car regulation and the lack of enforcement for e-bikes, suggesting similar measures are needed for e-bike safety
Seth Jacobson
3:47:23
Thank you city council members who are here.
3:47:25
I'm Seth Jacobson.
3:47:27
I'm a 40 year resident of New York City.
3:47:36
What am I doing?
3:47:39
I'm crossing the street safely.
3:47:44
Alright.
3:47:44
I'm looking I'm looking out for blind spots.
3:47:47
I'm looking out for ebikes.
3:47:50
Alright?
3:47:50
I'm looking out for ebikes barreling for towards me on maybe from the sidewalk, maybe gunning through red lights.
3:47:58
I'm looking at the edge of my peripheral vision, and I'm I've got good peripheral vision.
3:48:02
I've been playing basketball.
3:48:03
I'm 65.
3:48:04
I still play.
3:48:05
Right?
3:48:06
I'm looking at my peripheral vision, like, for stealth ninjas coming at me.
3:48:12
Right?
3:48:12
This has gotta stop.
3:48:13
Right?
3:48:13
We don't have to look for cars.
3:48:14
We're used to looking for cars.
3:48:16
We know what cars look like because they're big.
3:48:19
Right?
3:48:19
And we know what they look like.
3:48:20
We can't see these things.
3:48:22
Even when we're looking at them, we can't see them because they don't even have lights half the time.
3:48:28
In the many years I've been in the city and I've been riding my bikes, I've got I've had 6 bikes in 40 years, so I'm a biker as well as a basketball player, as well as a pedestrian, thank you very much.
3:48:42
In the 40 years I've been in the city, I've witnessed so many infractions and over the last 5 years with ebikes, I've probably seen a 1,000 of them.
3:48:51
And I've never ever ever ever seen any biker pulled over.
3:48:58
Ever.
3:48:59
And believe me, I've seen cops do this, shrug their shoulders.
3:49:05
And of course, I get it.
3:49:08
What is it, gonna turn into the Flash and and run run down the guy?
3:49:12
I mean, you can't do it.
3:49:14
There's no license plates.
3:49:15
There's nothing.
3:49:16
Right?
3:49:16
How is it gonna be enforced?
3:49:18
We need license plates.
3:49:20
It's clear.
3:49:21
We need registration.
3:49:22
We need license plates.
3:49:23
We do it for cars and cars, for the most part, obey the rules.
3:49:28
Obey the rules for the most part.
3:49:30
Imagine what it would be like if we didn't license cars and register them.
Selvena N. Brooks-Powers
3:49:35
Thank you.
Seth Jacobson
3:49:37
Priscilla's Law.
3:49:39
Sharon.
