Signs just put up on my home town bike path.

[elliot friedman]

NO E-BIKES, SCOOTERS OR ANY MOTORIZED VEHICLE ON BIKE PATH (NYC GREENWAY).
Been riding this route for the last 20 years and my daily routine for the last 4 years on my e-bike. Never had any issues except for the "Spandex" riders whizzing by with no consideration for others or the speed limit.

Joe Michaels Mile (Cross Island Parkway) | New York Trails | TrailLink

Joe Michaels Mile (Cross Island Parkway) spans 3.2 from Utopia Pkwy. (Queens) to NY 25A (Queens). View amenities, descriptions, reviews, photos, itineraries, and directions on TrailLink.

www.traillink.com

Actually the "law" in NYC states that e-bikes cannot be used on a greenway with a highway running along side of it. Like that makes a lot of sense.
This route contains a lane for walkers and a lane two or three times as wide for bikers and skaters. More than adequate except for the wayward joggers who don't pay attention to either.
Pisses me the hell off that no thought or reason is given for these regulations.
Speed: Determined by the rider. I can go as slow as any analog bike.
Weight: Determined by the rider. We won't go there.
Reckless driving: Determined by the rider. Speaks for itself.
If anything is to be summoned, it's the rider, not the equipment they're sitting upon.

Same issues on the roads we drive. The only real bans on our roads are commercial vehicles on certain parkways. Pedestrians, bicycles, motorcycles, and cars all share our roadways with some narrower than the greenway I'm beefing about.
Regarding E-bike Classes, I feel this aspect doesn't matter either. It's the rider that is responsible and accountable for any issues on a bike path.
I like to keep it simple:
SPEED LIMITATIONS not BIKE LIMITATIONS.
I bet the majority of analog speedsters on my route do not realize there's as 15 mph limit on all bike paths. Their actions certainly don't reflect it.

Anyways, be well and stay safe.......elliot

 

[Ang1sgt]

Thank you for that post. Is there anyplace that you can complain too? Who enforces it? So no E-Bike Class restriction either it’s an all out Ban.

 

[elliot friedman]

No class differential.
Nothing electric: Scooters, skateboards, wheels or bikes.
Ridiculous

 

[mschwett]

that sucks.

i would guess the intent of the law is to prevent people from riding high powered / high speed vehicles parallel to / escaping from the traffic of the highway.

if they don’t have the resources to enforce a speed limit (likely they don’t) there should be an accommodation for lower power or turned off eBikes. a blanket prohibition on a wide paved path like that is lame.

 

[m@Robertson]

Remember... NYS is still the only state in the Union who has a de facto ban on ebikes. The fairly recent NYC backtracking and allowance flies in the face of that. Things suck in that state for ebikes, period.

 

[rich c]

Local zoning laws override state laws. The wild wild west of unlimited eBikes has done damage in some places already and will dictate law changes all over the country in the near future. It's just a matter of time before everyone sees signs like this. I've seen gas powered bikes and even a motorcycle on our greenway. I was almost T-boned by a kid on a throttle operated Emoped. The general public will not allow that kind of crap, and I don't blame them.

 

[Taylor57]

NO E-BIKES, SCOOTERS OR ANY MOTORIZED VEHICLE ON BIKE PATH (NYC GREENWAY).
Been riding this route for the last 20 years and my daily routine for the last 4 years on my e-bike. Never had any issues except for the "Spandex" riders whizzing by with no consideration for others or the speed limit.

Joe Michaels Mile (Cross Island Parkway) | New York Trails | TrailLink

Joe Michaels Mile (Cross Island Parkway) spans 3.2 from Utopia Pkwy. (Queens) to NY 25A (Queens). View amenities, descriptions, reviews, photos, itineraries, and directions on TrailLink.

www.traillink.com

Actually the "law" in NYC states that e-bikes cannot be used on a greenway with a highway running along side of it. Like that makes a lot of sense.
This route contains a lane for walkers and a lane two or three times as wide for bikers and skaters. More than adequate except for the wayward joggers who don't pay attention to either.
Pisses me the hell off that no thought or reason is given for these regulations.
Speed: Determined by the rider. I can go as slow as any analog bike.
Weight: Determined by the rider. We won't go there.
Reckless driving: Determined by the rider. Speaks for itself.
If anything is to be summoned, it's the rider, not the equipment they're sitting upon.

Same issues on the roads we drive. The only real bans on our roads are commercial vehicles on certain parkways. Pedestrians, bicycles, motorcycles, and cars all share our roadways with some narrower than the greenway I'm beefing about.
Regarding E-bike Classes, I feel this aspect doesn't matter either. It's the rider that is responsible and accountable for any issues on a bike path.
I like to keep it simple:
SPEED LIMITATIONS not BIKE LIMITATIONS.
I bet the majority of analog speedsters on my route do not realize there's as 15 mph limit on all bike paths. Their actions certainly don't reflect it.

Anyways, be well and stay safe.......elliot

Whos gunna give you a ticket? Good luck enforcing it. Gunna be tough to prove you were on an ebike for starters. How do they know it was an ebike? How do they know the battery was turned on. Lots of grey area...

 

[elliot friedman]

Leaving no doubt,
It's just wrong!

 

[mikeschn]

Enforcing it is always going to be an issue. There are not enough resources to enforce anything like that.

Even to enforce a 15MPH speed limit on the trail, there are not enough resources!

 

[tomjasz]

Here's where a stealthy eBike would be my choice. F' em!

 

[tomjasz]

ChookLeaving no doubt,
It's just wrong!

Yes, just wrong and dumber than a Chook!

 

[Dave Rocks]

Whos gunna give you a ticket? Good luck enforcing it. Gunna be tough to prove you were on an ebike for starters. How do they know it was an ebike? How do they know the battery was turned on. Lots of grey area...

That won't matter to who ever is on patrol enforcing the matter. NO ELECTRIC BIKES means no electric bikes.

 

[Taylor57]

That won't matter to who ever is on patrol enforcing the matter. NO ELECTRIC BIKES means no electric bikes.

How can they prove you are on an electric bike?

 

[PatriciaK]

That won't matter to who ever is on patrol enforcing the matter. NO ELECTRIC BIKES means no electric bikes.

You really think there's going to be police officers patrolling, looking for ebikes?

 

[mschwett]

You really think there's going to be police officers patrolling, looking for ebikes?

on a busy MUP, i would not be surprised. probably looking for people going too fast, and especially not pedaling. with only a few exceptions eBikes are pretty easy to spot by the trained eye.

across the bridge here there’s a notorious motorcycle cop who pulls over any cyclist who runs a stop sign, rolls through a red, etc. pulled me over for turning on a red without completely stopping. total waste of public resources when there are people in cars killing pedestrians and cyclists every day.

 

[Mike TowpathTraveler]

Whos gunna give you a ticket? Good luck enforcing it. Gunna be tough to prove you were on an ebike for starters. How do they know it was an ebike? How do they know the battery was turned on. Lots of grey area...

Who? These guys. Which is what they are doing here....

Right now, the leadership in NYC, the governor's mansion and that Albany state legislature is in total meltdown and dysfunction. Incompetence. Too much to describe why for this thread without it getting all political. You can look into it for yourself if you want by going on line to the NY Post. But this is the government that the people in NYC wanted and voted for.

An old friend to this forum and site over the years, Chris Nolte of Propel Bikes, fought long and hard to see pedal assist Class 1 bikes made legal in NYC. Now this arbitrary ban. I often question why he has the base of his core business in NYC when the government treats the product that he sells as a pariah, a societal menace.

The really funny, ironic thing is that the same dopes who banned ebikes from sharing bike paths are the same dopes who are about to lay down a draconian "Congestion Pricing" scam on these very same people who live and work and commute in that city; to be announced in the coming week or so.

 

[Ang1sgt]

That is just ridiculous! It’s typical of the recent NYC Politics. It took so long to clean up NYC and now in less than 4 years it’s gone back to hell!

 

[Dave Rocks]

You really think there's going to be police officers patrolling, looking for ebikes?

There could be. I live in Toronto a big city and Police ticket/fine bikers for speed infractions.

 

[Dave Rocks]

How can they prove you are on an electric bike?

It has a motor.

 

[Mike_V]

Elliott, you're pioneering.
What will our Yankee "lawmakers" do if ( and when ) the trains stop running, again.? I ask you?
Hmm . .Let's see

Boston: Mass Transit train lines shut; Orange and Green. Bicycle heaven Traffic armageddon?

"Unprecidented changes with commuters stuck in the middle" ( reset? ) The streets of Boston are being repainted tonight after the Red Sox Win ( Yankees ) Streets of Boston - Now: Fresh White Paint covering BIG lanes with police solely for the diesel bus to replace two MBTA (MTA) train lines...

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