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NYC ends criminal summonses for cyclists, e-bike riders in policy shift
By
Giulia Heyward
Published Mar 18, 2026
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Leonardo Munoz/VIEWpress via Getty Images
By
Giulia Heyward
Published Mar 18, 2026
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Cyclists and e-bike riders in New York City will no longer have to appear in criminal court for minor traffic violations under a sweeping policy change announced Wednesday by Mayor Zohran Mamdani.
Starting March 27, low-level offenses like riding against traffic or disobeying a stop sign will be handled with civil summonses similar to how drivers are ticketed, instead of criminal charges that require a court appearance.
The move rolls back a crackdown under the previous administration that led to a sharp increase in criminal summonses for cyclists.
Riders received 10 times as many of the so-called “pink tickets” in the second quarter of 2025 compared to the first, as Gothamist previously reported.
Under that policy, cyclists who missed their court date risked a bench warrant or arrest.
Transportation advocates and cycling groups welcomed the change, arguing the prior approach unfairly penalized riders, especially delivery workers.
“Biking is not a crime and criminalizing it doesn’t make anyone safer,” said Charlie Baker, a spokesperson for Transportation Alternatives, a street safety advocacy group.
“It was a backwards policy to hand out criminal summonses for minor traffic offenses that a car driver would only receive a ticket for,” Baker added. “In order to actually make our streets safer, you have to address the root cause: delivery workers are being made to go too fast by their bosses.”
Baker said thousands of people signed a petition and hundreds joined protests against the policy last year.
Street safety advocates said the changes could help balance fairness with accountability.
“It returns everybody who is operating a vehicle on city streets — whether it’s one that you pedal or drive — on equal footing,” said Eric McClure, executive director of StreetsPAC. “It’s fair and it’s just.”
Mamdani framed the shift as a matter of fairness.
“Every New Yorker on our roads, whether driving or biking, deserves to be treated fairly,” the mayor said in a statement. “By ending criminal summonses for low-level traffic offenses, we’re ensuring cyclists and e-bike riders — including those who deliver our food and groceries — are treated like others on the road.”
The administration said it will also launch a safety training program for delivery workers in April, in partnership with the city Department of Transportation.
City officials said they were also planning legislation aimed at delivery app companies, which they say can incentivize unsafe riding through tight deadlines.
The proposals would require companies to share trip data with the city and could establish new delivery time standards and training requirements for workers with repeated violations.
Tagged
Politics
new york city
transportation
Giulia Heyward
Giulia Heyward is a breaking news reporter on the Day-Of desk. She previously worked at NPR, as a breaking news reporter, and the New York Times, as a reporting fellow on the national desk. Her work has also appeared in CNN, The Atlantic and Politico. Got a tip? Email [email protected] or more securely on signal at 917-715-1458.
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