#e-bike-regulation

#e-bike-regulation

Panic is the appropriate response to the passage and signing of a new law in New Jersey that requires all e-bike riders 17 and older to have driver's licenses, registration and insurance (which may not even be available and proof of which they must carry with them while riding) and wear a state-approved motorcycle helmet. Riders 15 or 16 years old will need to acquire a "motorized bicycle license."

In a special Ask-Me-Anything episode of the StreetSmart podcast, Streetsblog California editor Damien Newton reflects on his first year leading the site while answering reader-submitted questions on politics, transportation policy, and advocacy. Newton opens by thanking listeners for helping the nonprofit newsroom reach its annual fundraising goal, then explains why, as head of a 501(c)(3), he cannot endorse candidates or say who he is voting for in upcoming elections.

This week's e-bike news covers topics ranging from new e-bike speed limits to ALSO's e-quadricycle to a prototype brake rotor for eMTBs. New York City recently implemented mayor Eric Adams' plan to limit e-bike and e-scooter speeds to 15 mph while allowing analog bikes to travel faster. Rivian's e-mobility brand ALSO plans to offer a four-wheeled, pedal-powered vehicle for both commercial and consumer use. Amazon struck a deal to deploy thousands of units in locations across the US and Europe.

Take a picture, save the city. This just in from our friends at CHEKPEDS (which sort of stands for the Clinton-Hell's Kitchen-Chelsea Coalition for Pedestrian Safety): a new app that you need now more than ever. The same people who created the indepensible Crashmapper are back with "Walkmapper," which allows you to snap a picture of a streetscape defect and report it directly to the city and the elected official in that neighborhood. Manhattan Community Board 4 used it recently to report more than 200 missing pedestrian ramps! (It's also great for reporting a missing bike rack, a broken streetlight, or an ill-timed crosswalk light.)

Mayor Eric Adams claims that the Department of Sustainable Delivery will support delivery workers, enhance pedestrian safety, and hold delivery app companies accountable for pressure on gig workers.