Mayor Zohran Mamdani’s directive to go easy on e-bike violations has “legalized” reckless riding and let lawlessness run rampant on city streets, a new lawsuit filed on Thursday claimed.
The complaint, filed Thursday in Richmond County Supreme Court, claims Mamdani’s March directive illegally bars cops from issuing criminal summonses to e‑bike riders who blast through red lights, ride on sidewalks or barrel the wrong way down one‑way streets.
The suit was filed by NYC Common Sense chair and former mayoral candidate Jim Walden, alongside several New Yorkers injured in e-bike crashes as well as GOP Staten Island Councilman Frank Morano, who is suing in his personal capacity.
A bike rider is seen on the Hudson River Greenway bike path, where e-bikes and scooters are not permitted. Stefano Giovannini
A man riding an electric bike on the boardwalk is stopped by police in New York City on June 19, 2025. Stephen Yang
Mayor Zohran Mamdani’s directive to go easy on e-bike violations has “legalized” reckless riding and let lawlessness run rampant on city streets, a new lawsuit filed on Thursday claimed. Richmond County Supreme Court“The lack of any actual safety policy, or even concern frankly, is the very definition of capricious decision making, as well as a stunning offense to public trust,” the suit says.
Mamdani’s executive order limits officers to handing out civil tickets for unlicensed e‑bike riders, who can ignore them without fear of arrest or license suspension.
The lawsuit blasts Mamdani’s change, saying it effectively “legalized” dangerous riding and turned sidewalks and crosswalks into “zones of exclusion” for seniors and disabled New Yorkers who can’t physically dodge 25 mph e‑bikes.
The complaint cites crash data showing that average citywide e-bike injuries in February 2026 hovered around 50 — compared to a five-year average of over 100.
The same data also show e-bike related crashes nearly halved when the crackdown first started — in April 2025 citywide crashes were over 100 and plummeted to around 50 by February 2026.
The scene of a scooter-involved crash with a Jeep Cherokee. Tomas E. GastonThe plaintiffs said they were injured by reckless e-bikes.
Plaintiff Bonnie Gerard, 83, was allegedly standing on a sidewalk in the Upper East Side when an e‑bike jumped the curb and crashed into her, knocking her down and leaving her with a concussion, a fractured kneecap and leg injuries that still affect her ability to walk.
Fellow plaintiff Harvey Goldberg, 75, was riding a Citi Bike when an e‑bike rider slammed into him on Second Avenue, knocking him unconscious and leaving him with a fractured clavicle and long‑term arm immobility that interferes with his work as a physician, according to the lawsuit.
Mayor Mamdani is an avid biker who does not wear a helmet. Lone Pine Press for NY Post
The suit argues that e-bikes are injuring pedestrians more frequently after Mamdani decriminalized e-bike offenses. Helayne Seidman for the NY PostAnd Roberta Simon said she was walking on a Central Park pedestrian lane when an e‑bike slammed into her from behind, knocking her unconscious and breaking several ribs.
She had to have brain surgery and spent days in a coma. She still suffers from dizziness and headaches.
The suit is seeking a policy change, asking a judge to void Mamdani’s policy and restore former Mayor Eric Adams‘ criminal enforcement that plaintiffs said cut e‑bike crashes and fatalities by about 30 percent.
The Garden State will implement sweeping new e-bike license and registration policies next month while similar legislation is at a standstill in the Big Apple.
They point to NYU Langone data showing e‑bike and scooter crashes now account for seven percent of all trauma admissions and that pedestrians struck by the devices suffer brain injuries at nearly twice the rate of riders.
