NYC Parks Department Bans E-Bikes Despite Legalization in the Rest of New York City  – Bicycle Injury Lawyer Glenn Herman Weighs In

New York, NY — Signs posted around New York’s parks inform citizens of the Parks Department’s decision to ban e-bikes and e-scooters from entering certain parks. Following the legalization and growing usage of e-bikes (both privately owned and through e-bike rental services such as Citi Bike and Lime, Bird and Veo ), the Parks Department’s restrictions create a roadblock in the City’s move towards micromobility.

NYC Parks confirmed the rule on twitter, stating, “Our park rules prohibit motor vehicles in a park, except on designated park roads, greenways, and parking areas. This includes all e-bikes, scooters, mopeds, and other motorized vehicles, as defined by the @nysdmv Motor Vehicle Code.”

Technically, New York State law does not define e-bikes, pedal assist bikes, or e-scooters as motorized vehicles, even though they contain small electric motors. Section 125 of the New York State Vehicle and Traffic Law states:

“Every vehicle operated or driven upon a public highway which is propelled by any power other than muscular power, except (a) electrically-driven mobility assistance devices operated or driven by a person with a disability, (a-1) electric personal assistive mobility devices operated outside a city with a population of one million or more, (b) vehicles which run only upon rails or tracks, (c) snowmobiles as defined in article forty-seven of this chapter, (d) all terrain vehicles as defined in article forty-eight-B of this chapter, (e) bicycles with electric assist as defined in section one hundred two-c of this article, and (f) electric scooters as defined in section one hundred fourteen-e of this article.”

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