The hearing is scheduled for Sept. 30 and comes as concerns grow over illegal, high-speed e-bikes and e-scooters following several recent crashes involving riders and pedestrians.
Among the proposals under consideration are measures that would ban the sale of e-bikes capable of exceeding the city's 15 mph speed limit, require additional insurance for third-party food delivery apps, crack down on the use of unregistered mopeds and increase penalties for riders who flee crash scenes.
Council members are also considering a trade-in program that would allow riders to exchange illegal bikes for safer ones, along with stronger consumer protections, expanded enforcement and infrastructure changes designed to slow high-speed riding.
According to city data, there have been more than 500 e-bike collisions and 795 scooter collisions so far this year, an increase of more than 28% compared to the same period last year.
The announcement comes one week after 17-year-old Gabriel Nataco was killed in a crash near City Hall while riding a Deepower motorcycle that his family had purchased on Amazon. The company no longer ships the bike to New York City.
"Every New Yorker deserves to move around our city freely and safely, regardless of how they get around," City Council Speaker Julie Menin said in a statement. "But too many people have been seriously injured or killed in crashes involving illegal, high-speed e-bikes, e-motos, and e-scooters."
At a press conference Tuesday, Menin said the current approach is not enough.
"The status quo cannot continue, and the Council is setting up a vehicle for that very change," Menin said. "Safe streets and responsible cycling go hand in hand. Not only can we achieve both, we must achieve both."
Mayor Zohran Mamdani is expected to announce his own street safety initiatives Wednesday at City Hall.
The mayor said his administration remains focused on removing illegal bikes from city streets but will reserve judgment on the City Council's legislative package until he has had an opportunity to review it.
"Having spoken to the mother of the young man who was killed while riding on an illegal e-bike, my heart just breaks for her and for all of the families who've had their children stolen from them as a result of this," Mamdani said. "That bike is one that should never have been on our streets. It is critically important that safety is something that each and every New Yorker has, no matter what mode of transportation they use."
The Sept. 30 hearing will include testimony from city agencies, transportation and public safety experts, advocates, delivery workers and members of the public as council members evaluate potential legislative solutions.
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