PUBLIC TESTIMONY
Testimony by Valerie Mason, Chair of Manhattan Community Board 8, on E-bike Regulation
8:02:11
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125 sec
Valerie Mason, Chair of Manhattan Community Board 8, expressed support for Intro 606 and emphasized the urgent need for e-bike regulation in New York City. She highlighted the community's concerns about e-bikes and challenged the DOT's accident reporting methods.
- Mason cited a 2023 report showing e-bikes caused 19 times more deaths per vehicle than regular bikes
- She pointed out that prior to summer 2024, police reports did not specify e-bike involvement in crashes
- While acknowledging licensing and registration isn't a complete solution, Mason argued it's a necessary starting point for addressing e-bike safety issues
Valerie Mason
8:02:11
Okay.
8:02:12
Hi.
8:02:12
Thank you very much.
8:02:14
Hi.
8:02:15
Thank you very much.
8:02:16
I'm Valerie Mason, and I'm the chair of Manhattan Community Board 8.
8:02:21
Just for geographic purposes, we are the community board that borders community board 6, and we did pass a resolution asking for the hearing of 606.
8:02:31
And we are happy that this bill has finally seen the light of day.
8:02:35
I don't wanna get into the particulars of this bill, but I do wanna say that our community board supported the passage of New York State Assembly Bill a dash 9092, which requires bicycles with electric assist and electric scooters be registered with the DMV and a license plate affixed.
8:02:54
I have to tell you that almost every community board meeting we have, the issue is ebikes ebikesebikes.
8:03:01
I attended a public forum when Ki Chan Sewell was the commissioner of the NYPD.
8:03:09
The first seven questions were about ebikes.
8:03:12
I take issue with the DOT's commissioner's report on bicycle on accidents.
8:03:17
In 2023, Alex Boris did a report that showed ebikes caused 19 times more deaths per vehicle than regular bikes.
8:03:26
And it wasn't until 2024 that a bill was passed in the state legislature that even allowed ebikes to be cited as involved or cause a crash prior to the the governor signing this bill in in the summer of 2024.
8:03:42
There was no police report that even set forth who was involved in these accidents.
8:03:48
I don't think that anyone testifying here tonight is saying that licensing and registration is the be all and end all, but we have to start to do something.
8:03:58
It should not have taken as long as it has for this bill to come before the council, and I don't understand why it's taken this bill 4 years and intro 1101 in a matter of days.
8:04:10
We need to start doing something.
8:04:12
Registration is not the total answer.
UNKNOWN
8:04:14
Your time's expired.
Valerie Mason
8:04:15
Start somewhere.
Selvena N. Brooks-Powers
8:04:16
Thank you.
