New York is on the verge of legalizing scooters and e-bikes

New York, which has long resisted the wharfless electric scooter boom, seems poised to allow scooter-sharing companies like Bird and Lime to run on its roads. Legislators in the capital, Albany, have reached an agreement to lift the ban on scooters and accelerator pedal bikes. If governor Andrew Cuomo resigns, New Yorkers will soon be able to see electric-powered cars driving in the streets.

The bill would amend existing legislation to legalize e-bikes and scooters, but would compel cities to join them and give communities the ability to decide for themselves how to regulate vehicles. Under the new law, electric bicycles and scooters would be legal throughout the state, but a sharing service should be allowed by municipalities prior to launch. The only exception is that the Manhattan borough does not have a licensed electric scooter program at the moment. This would seem to satisfy some legislators who opposed the legalization of scooters for reasons of safety and obstruction of sidewalks.

The measure fits into an ultimate effort by lawmakers to pbad many bills before the end of Wednesday's legislative session. If the bill pbades, he would then go to Governor Cuomo's office for legislation. Cuomo supports the legalization of electric scooters and bikes, but a spokesman said the governor was still considering the latest proposal.

Even New York City Mayor Bill de Blasio, who described electric bicycles as dangerous and ordered the New York Police Department to crack down on the food deliverers who use them, seems to be in favor. "We appreciate this common sense law that clarifies the rules for electric bikes on our streets," said de Blasio's spokesman. The edge. "The safety of all on our roads is our priority and we look forward to working with legislators and communities as we develop plans to implement the new law."

New York remained a scooter-free zone despite the rapid growth of the phenomenon worldwide. While other cities are trying to regulate and manage the sudden appearance of hundreds (or thousands) of scooters on their streets, New Yorkers are unaware of the joys and pitfalls of two wheels.

But this is about to change. On the one hand, the city of New York could perfectly suit these scooter companies, whose value reaches $ 2 billion. New York is a city with a booming public transit system that is used by millions of people every day, but it is also filled with shortcomings. A recent report showed that 24% of the city's metro stations, many located in the Bronx, Brooklyn, and Queens, were inaccessible to many residents of the city.

Meanwhile, food deliverers have been hardest hit by the city's implementation of the ban. While pedal-powered electric bicycles are allowed to circulate in New York, deliverymen, favored by deliverymen, are not, and deliverymen, mostly immigrants, are regularly fined. 500 USD and the confiscation of their bike by the NYPD.

Change will not come in the night. The city has yet to develop its own rules for scooter companies, which will likely include a pilot program and licensing process similar to those in San Francisco and Chicago. And we do not know how the city will approach deliverymen who have been fined and whose bicycles have been confiscated under the rules.

But that did not stop scooter startups from declaring victory. "We are two steps away from better transportation options for New Yorkers," said Phil Jones, who heads government relations for Lime, "and there is a momentum to cross the finish line."

Bird, who has been lobbying New York authorities for more than a year, predicted that his scooter sharing service would not be launched in New York until spring 2020. "You can not overestimate the present moment, "said Paul Steely White, director of security and advocacy policy at Bird. "New York is about to make its streets safer and more equitable for everyone – all our lawmakers need to do is vote yes."