ALBANY — The state Assembly on Thursday took aim at young Citi Bike users, subjecting them to onerous fines by passing a bill to mandate helmet for 16- and 17-year-old users of electric bikes, even the pedal assist versions that have become the most popular part of the bike share fleet.
The teen helmet bill, A590, passed the full Assembly even though opponents say it will make cycling less safe and undermine the Citi Bike system.
“There is extensive evidence that what keeps cyclists safe are protected bike lanes, enforcement against dangerous driver behavior, and more people riding bikes — not mandatory helmet laws,” the Lyft-owned Citi Bike previously told Streetsblog during earlier coverage of this bill…