COVID-19 has emptied New York City’s streets. Residents are sheltering in place. The city has limited restaurants and cafes to do takeout and for delivery only, putting delivery workers on the front lines of the effort to contain the virus. Recognizing this fact, two New York City councilmen urged Mayor Bill de Blasio to stop the “crack down on the technology they are using to keep us fed.”
A day later, de Blasio announced he would comply. The technology in question? The throttle-controlled e-bike.
New York City’s administrative code makes it illegal to sell or ride any two-wheeled vehicle with handlebars and an electric or gasoline motor “capable of propelling the device without human power”—effectively forbidding the use of throttle e-bikes. In 2017, the mayor directed the NYPD to step up enforcement of this long-standing prohibition against the throttle bike, the vast majority of which are ridden by delivery workers. The crackdown was a response to citizen complaints…
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Source : fastcompany.com
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