STATEN ISLAND, N.Y. — Mayor Zohran Mamdani on Wednesday announced the NYPD will no longer issue criminal summonses to e-bike riders and cyclists for low-level traffic offenses, amid pushback by some elected officials on Staten Island and elsewhere.
The new policy, set to begin Friday, March 27, in effect rescinds a policy under the prior administration in which riders could be criminally charged for minor violations such as disobeying a stop sign. The summonses required them to appear in criminal court or else risk a bench warrant.
Moving forward, violations instead will be addressed through the same civil summons process as motorists, which “ensures accountability while ending a punitive system that has disproportionately burdened working New Yorkers,” according to the announcement.
“Every New Yorker on our roads, whether driving or biking, deserves to be treated fairly. By ending criminal summonses for low-level traffic offenses, we’re ensuring cyclists and e-bike riders — including those who deliver our food and groceries — are treated like others on the road,” said Mamdani…