A Hochul fix to NYs e-bike law plus Mamdani enforcement can save lives

Last week, victims of serious e-bike crashes sued Mayor Zohran Mamdani, charging that, in ending criminal enforcement against e-bike drivers breaking traffic laws, the mayor has unilaterally “rewritten” state policy.Rather than relying on the courts to force the mayor to act, though, Gov.Kathy Hochul must step in to protect pedestrians and pedal cyclists. The lawsuit makes for harrowing reading. Bonnie Gerard, 83, was on an Upper East Side sidewalk in October 2023 when an e-bike driver hit her, knocking her into a garbage can and causing a serious head and leg injury.  Roberta Simon was walking in a Central Park pedestrian lane in August 2024 when an e-bike driver struck her, causing a brain injury that required surgery.  Harvey Goldberg, 75, was riding a Citi Bike in the Second Avenue bike lane when an e-bike hit him, knocking him out and breaking a bone.These stories are backed by data. In 2024, six pedestrians died in crashes involving motorized two-wheelers, a category so new that it was the first year the city reported it separately. Serious injuries — for pedestrians and e-bike drivers — have soared.  The plaintiffs, represented by former independent mayoral candidate Jim Walden, don’t want money (beyond legal fees).They just want a judge to direct Mamdani to reverse a policy he started in March.  Mamdani’s March directive was to end a nearly year-old initiative begun by NYPD Commissioner Jessica Tisch under the Adams administration.  Starting last April, the NYPD began writing criminal summonses to reckless e-bikers rather than traffic tickets.Tisch made this decision after seeing that e-bikers were ignoring civil tickets.  Mamdani was wrong to stop criminal enforcement, and he should resume such summonsing before more people die. But that doesn’t fix the original sin.  State policy is broken beyond the scope of this lawsuit, because, in 2020, then-Gov.

Andrew Cuomo made the m...