NYC to end criminal summonses for minor e-bike and cycling offenses
Credit: Elvert Barnes on Flickr
E-bike riders and cyclists will no longer face criminal summonses for low-level offenses, as Mayor Zohran Mamdani rolls back a policy of his predecessor. On Wednesday, Mamdani announced that, beginning March 27, the NYPD will rescind a policy introduced under former Mayor Eric Adams that issued criminal summonses for minor violations, like running a stop sign, which required riders to appear in criminal court. Instead, officers will issue standard traffic tickets to cyclists, the same given to drivers.
The policy change aims to maintain accountability for traffic offenses while ending a system that has disproportionately affected working New Yorkers, particularly delivery workers. Mamdani pledged to eliminate the policy during his mayoral campaign, arguing it was especially burdensome for immigrant delivery workers, who were required to appear in court, lose wages, and face the criminal justice system, according to Streetsblog.
“Every New Yorker on our roads, whether driving or biking, deserves to be treated fairly. By ending criminal summonses for low-level traffic offenses, we’re ensuring cyclists and e-bike riders—including those who deliver our food and groceries—are treated like others on the road,” Mamdani said.
Mamdani also introduced several additional policy changes affecting e-bike riders and cyclists. The Mayor’s Office and the Department of Transportation (DOT) will launch a comprehensive safety training program in April for delivery workers and work with the City Council on legislation to address hazardous practices by third-party delivery app companies, which often incentivize unsafe riding through unrealistic delivery times.
Accessible online in six languages, the training program will cover workers’ rights and responsibilities, safe e-bike and bicycle operation, and traffic laws. The DOT will oversee compliance and roll out the program in collaboration with delivery worker advocates to ensure participation while protecting workers’ rights.
The proposed legislation would require delivery apps to share trip-level data with the DOT to help establish safer, more realistic delivery standards and ensure compliance. The city will also seek authority to mandate improved training for delivery workers who repeatedly engage in unsafe riding behavior.
In addition, the Mamdani administration will work with the City Council to craft legislation addressing the root causes of unsafe e-bike and delivery cycling practices.
The proposal would allow the city to set safe delivery time standards, regulate penalties imposed on workers, authorize the DOT to require training for those who repeatedly engage in unsafe behavior, and expand commercial delivery safety and training requirements to cover all two-wheeled vehicles, including mopeds and motorcycles.
“The end of criminal enforcement for minor traffic offenses for cyclists and e-bike riders is a major step forward. For too long, app delivery companies have built business models that push workers to speed, work long hours and ride in unsafe conditions, making delivery one of the most dangerous jobs in NYC,” Ligia Guallpa, executive director of the Workers Justice Project/Los Deliveristas Unidos, said.
Last April, the NYPD began issuing criminal summonses to riders for low-level offenses. The following June, Adams proposed a 15-mile-per-hour speed limit for e-bikes, which took effect in October.
However, reporting by Streetsblog found little data to support the crackdown. City statistics show that e-bike crashes were declining before the policy took effect. In 2024, traffic crashes injured 9,610 pedestrians, with e-bike riders linked to just 37 cases—about 0.4 percent of all injuries.
That trend continued into 2025, with just one pedestrian injury caused by an e-bike rider during the first three months of the year, out of 2,271 total pedestrian injuries, or less than 0.04 percent.
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