Gothamist
A non-profit newsroom, powered by WNYC.
Gothamist
Listen Live
News
15 mph e-bike and scooter speed limit takes effect in NYC: What to know
By
Brittany Kriegstein
Published Oct 24, 2025
Modified Oct 24, 2025
Share
FacebookTwitterRedditEmail
Never miss a story
Email address
By submitting your information, you're agreeing to receive communications from New York Public Radio in accordance with our Terms .
Brittany Kriegstein / Gothamist
By
Brittany Kriegstein
Published Oct 24, 2025
Modified Oct 24, 2025
Share
FacebookTwitterRedditEmail
We rely on your support to make local news available to all
Make your contribution now and help Gothamist thrive in 2026. Donate today
Gothamist is funded by sponsors and member donations
For New York City’s e-bike and scooter riders, it’s time to slow down.
The city’s new 15 mph speed limit for these vehicles takes effect Friday. Officials say it will help improve street safety among the soaring number of delivery workers and residents who use the zippy bikes to get around, as well as pedestrians and drivers.
Mayor Eric Adams’ office said Friday officials will initially focus on educating cyclists about the new rules before more strictly enforcing them. The NYPD will issue warnings to first-time offenders who break this speed limit, as well as monitor collision data to inform deployments, officials said.
“To be clear, this isn’t about criminalization; it’s about creating safer, fairer conditions for all New Yorkers,” Adams said in a statement.
The city will install new signage and do street outreach about the rules along busy bike corridors, officials said. Delivery apps and worker organizations will also be given educational materials about the change.
Regular bikes are not subject to the new speed limit because they are lighter than e-bikes, and can continue traveling up to 25 mph, according to the guidelines.
“I personally like this slower pace,” Citi Bike rider John Boschetto said Friday along Brooklyn’s Atlantic Avenue. “It feels a lot safer.”
Delivery worker Camilo Guit said the policy will make it more likely for both pedestrians and cyclists to travel more calmly on city streets — though he said didn't know about the change until a Gothamist reporter told him.
An e-bike delivery worker rides through Times Square in Manhattan on Feb. 21, 2023.
Leonardo Munoz/VIEWpress via Getty Images
“I think it’s good because a lot of people don’t respect [the rules] … and a lot of accidents happen,” delivery cyclist Adolfo Tui said along the same route. The restaurant he works for gave him a pamphlet about the new speed limit, he added.
Adams first proposed the rule change in June, saying it aligned with similar speed limits imposed in European bike lanes and came in response to New Yorkers’ concerns. The NYPD had cracked down earlier this year on cyclists who break traffic laws, issuing criminal summonses in an attempt to rein in behavior like running red lights and riding the wrong way.
At least 638 people were injured and 17 were killed in crashes involving e-bikes last year, according to city data. An estimated 65,000 deliveristas travel on city streets, officials and advocates say, and e-bike sales nationwide have skyrocketed since the COVID-19 pandemic.
A 60-year-old woman died earlier this month after she was struck near the Brooklyn Navy Yard by two people on a type of e-bike marketed as having maximum speeds around 30 mph. Such high-speed e-bikes are required to have a license plate and be registered with the state, which wasn’t the case in this instance, officials said.
This story has been updated with additional information.
Tagged
e-bikes
e-scooters
eric adams
new york city
public safety
transportation
Brittany Kriegstein
Brittany Kriegstein covers all breaking news around New York City, with a focus on crime and gun violence. Got a tip? Email Brittany at [email protected].
Read more
Gothamist is funded by sponsors and member donations
Gothamist is funded by sponsors and member donations
MORE news
Dump truck driver hits and kills cyclist on 34th Street in Midtown, NYPD says
It's the latest in a string of hit-and-run deaths in the city in recent months.
By
Liam Quigley
Published Sep 28, 2026 at 4:15 p.m. ET
New ingredient mandated for Latin American kitchen, restaurant plates in NJ
The Garden State now requires that corn masa dough and flour made and sold in the state be fortified with folic acid.
By
Arya Sundaram
News
New ingredient mandated for Latin American kitchen, restaurant plates in NJ
The Garden State now requires that corn masa dough and flour made and sold in the state be fortified with folic acid.
By
Arya Sundaram
A Brooklyn jail cell filled with smoke. The emergency button failed, a lawyer said.
By
Samantha Max
Crews launch tunnel machines to dig first new Hudson River rail tunnels since 1910
By
Michael Sol Warren
NYC nor’easter dries up after weather service reports minor flooding
By
Ramsey Khalifeh
Never miss a story
Catch up on the most important headlines with a roundup of essential NYC stories, delivered to your inbox daily.
Sign upEmail address
By submitting your information, you're agreeing to receive communications from New York Public Radio in accordance with our Terms .