Janet Schroeder, the director of the NYC E-Vehicle Safety Alliance, which supports the state bill, said its omission from the city’s efforts would be “an absolute shame,” arguing that requiring license plates would deter irresponsible cycling.
“We don’t want a task force and educational program bills,” she said. “It’s time for accountability.”
Critics of the licensing bill say it would be onerous and costly, would do little to curb the worst offenders’ behavior and would have a chilling effect on overall bike ridership.
“Anything that makes it harder to ride an e-bike that goes 15 m.p.h. is a huge problem,” said Alex Duncan, a bike advocate who runs a popular online community discussing “micromobility,” including bicycles and scooters.
Mr. Duncan said the focus should be on regulating the sale of higher-speed vehicles, sometimes called e-motos, which are already illegal on New York City streets. “We need controls on, basically, the bad forms of every mode,” he said.