New York City just approved a massive $116 billion budget and tucked inside it is a move that’s already raising eyebrows. NYC Creates New Department to Hassle E-Bike Delivery Riders: What It Really Means for Street Safety. A new unit called the Department of Sustainable Delivery will soon hit the streets, with 45 unarmed peace officers whose main job will be enforcing laws against e-bike and moped delivery riders. This plan, set to go live in 2028, has a lot of people asking: who is this really helping?
Mayor Eric Adams says this is about keeping pedestrians safe and holding big delivery apps like Uber Eats and DoorDash responsible for pressuring their workers. He claims the new department is part of a bigger push for safer streets. But many who follow city transport policy say otherwise. To them, NYC creates new department to hassle e-bike delivery riders sounds more like targeting the wrong crowd.
Let’s be honest e-bike riders aren’t exactly the biggest threat on city streets. Data in the city shows their is less than 4% of traffic-related injuries through ebikes. Between 2021 and 2024, only six pedestrians died in incidents involving e-bikes. Compare that to the hundreds of deaths every year caused by cars and trucks, and the focus of this new plan feels out of place.
Instead of cracking down on reckless drivers or improving bike lanes, the city wants to spend money on policing bikes. And not just any bikes e-bikes used by workers, most of who are having low-income are hustling to survive. It’s hard not to see this as a step backward.
Earlier this year, Adams already imposed a citywide 15 mph speed limit on e-bikes a move many riders called unrealistic. Now, with this new department, the pressure ramps up. Officers will be trained to issue moving violations and enforce commercial cycling laws. But here’s the problem: how do you tell the difference between a dangerous rider and one simply rushing to make a timed delivery before getting penalized by their app?
That’s the big question critics are asking. The city hasn’t explained how officers will make that call. Meanwhile, the fear is that this will lead to more stops, fines, and surveillance especially targeting delivery riders who are already overworked and underpaid.
One of the loudest concerns is that NYC creates new department to hassle e-bike delivery riders under the name of “safety,” when it’s really just micromanaging one of the few groups actually helping reduce car use. If anything, they should be supported with safer bike paths, charging stations, and protections from app-based exploitation — not treated like criminals.
City Council members say they’re listening to advocates and working on finding better solutions. But actions speak louder than words. And right now, the actions say that NYC is spending taxpayer money not on making streets safer, but on targeting workers who helped keep the city running through a pandemic.
So here we are. NYC creates new department to hassle e-bike delivery riders that’s the headline, and it tells you a lot about where priorities currently stand. If city leaders truly care about street safety, the focus should shift. Let’s talk about better infrastructure, less car traffic, and stronger rights for delivery workers.
Until then, many will see this new department not as progress, but as punishment.
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