"Biking is not a crime and criminalizing it doesn't make anyone safer. It was a backwards policy to hand out criminal summonses for minor traffic offenses that a car driver would only receive a ticket for. In order to actually make our streets safer, you have to address the root cause: delivery workers are being made to go too fast by their bosses."
"It returns everybody who is operating a vehicle on city streets - whether it's one that you pedal or drive - on equal footing. It's fair and it's just."
New York City implemented a policy change eliminating criminal charges for cyclists committing minor traffic violations like running stop signs or riding against traffic. Instead, these infractions will be handled through civil summonses similar to those issued to drivers. This reverses the previous administration's crackdown that dramatically increased criminal summonses for cyclists, with riders receiving ten times more citations in early 2025. Transportation advocates and cycling groups support the change, arguing the prior approach unfairly penalized riders, particularly delivery workers who face pressure to exceed safe speeds. The policy aims to balance street safety with fairness by treating all vehicle operators equally under city traffic laws.
Read at Gothamist
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