There’s street rage brewing inside the Adams administration over laws aimed toward decreasing the rise in deaths and accidents involving e-bikes within the Large Apple.
Mayor Adams instructed transit stakeholders in September he helps a invoice requiring all electric-powered bikes and scooters to register with town’s Division of Transportation and acquire license plates — simply as vehicles and different authorized autos now do by way of the state Division of Motor Autos, in line with individuals who attended the non-public assembly.
However Adams’ handpicked DOT Commissioner, Ydanis Rodriguez, publicly opposed the laws throughout a Metropolis Council committee listening to on Dec. 11. The commissioner stated that whereas he “helps” the invoice’s “intent” he has many issues, together with that it might “result in a spotlight of enforcement towards supply employees, a lot of whom are simply attempting to make ends meet and supply for his or her households.”
The invoice’s sponsor, Metropolis Councilman Robert Holden (D-Queens), chafed on the suggestion his laws would result in selective enforcement towards a selected group, together with supply drivers, a lot of whom are unlawful migrants.
Implementing legal guidelines towards individuals who run “purple lights [and break other traffic rules] isn’t racist,” Holden instructed Rodriguez.
“The mayor [has] stated he helps my invoice. The truth that it didn’t trickle all the way down to your company is puzzling,” fumed Holden, who additionally attended the September stakeholders assembly at Metropolis Corridor.
Rodriquez and his speedy supervisor, Deputy Mayor of Operations Meera Joshi, have gone “rogue” and are “wokesters” steering an anti-car agenda, Holden claimed to The Publish.
“They’re sidelining the mayor, ignoring group voices, and pushing the agenda of particular pursuits,” he stated, demanding each Rodriguez and Joshi resign.
Adams appeared to double down on his assist of the invoice Monday on a podcast hosted by Little Africa Information writer Mona Davids, saying too many e-bike and e-scooter riders aren’t following the legislation and are placing pedestrians, particularly seniors, in danger.
“Persons are using on sidewalks, working by way of purple lights, going by way of crosswalks, and it’s grow to be a hazard,” stated Adams, who failed to say his DOT commissioner blindsided him days earlier by opposing the invoice.
A Metropolis Corridor supply, nonetheless, stated Adams is certainly perturbed about being undermined by Rodriquez, a former Manhattan councilman who was appointed to the $243,171-a-year job after serving to Adams safe key Latino group assist in the course of the 2021 mayoral race.
Forty-eight individuals had been killed in e-bike crashes in NYC over the previous 5 years, together with 34 cyclists, 13 pedestrians and a motorist, in line with metropolis information compiled by Crash Mapper. The information fails to specify who was at fault.
The invoice’s supporters say many different visitors accidents involving e-bikes go unreported.
Necessary licensing would additionally assist pinpoint the events responsible for greater than 735 e-bike battery fires, which have resulted in 500 accidents and 30 fatalities since 2019, they added.
Liz Garcia, a mayoral spokesperson, declined to handle non-public conversations Adams has had with Holden, Rodriguez or some other stakeholders concerning the invoice.
Nonetheless, she insisted the mayor, Rodriguez and Joshi are on the identical web page and assist the invoice’s “intent” to drive down e-bike accidents.
“We sit up for persevering with to work with the Metropolis Council on advancing a complete response to this problem and making e-bike utilization safer for everybody,” Garcia stated.
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