Immigrant Delivery Workers Protest Mayor's Crackdown on Electric Bikes

Hundreds of delivery workers, many still wearing their helmets, joined immigrant-rights advocates at City Hall Monday, calling the stepped-up enforcement of electric bike laws unfair.

One of the delivery workers, Li Qiang Liu, who earns $100 a day with tips, has received three tickets for riding an electric bike this year. The penalties total $1,500, in addition to the lost days of work while he waits for the NYPD to return his bike.

"I came to America to be a delivery worker, because I have to provide care for my 80-year-old paralyzed mother in China," he said at the rally, speaking through a translator. "Only by working in the United State I can afford her medical and life expense. I hope Mayor de Blasio can hear the voice of our new immigrant community. We want him to understand enforcement on electric bikes has serious impact on our livelihoods."

City Councilwoman Margaret Chin said her office did a survey of delivery people in the city and found the majority are between 40 to 60 years old and work 8-12 hours a day. She said without electric bikes they'd be unable to make deliveries within a 30-block radius, which some restaurants demand.

"Many of them, especially those who speak limited or no English, have little to no understanding of state and city regulations on e-bikes, while still having to bear the devastating and disproportionate consequences of increased enforcement," Chin said. 

She said she wants to work with state officials to legalize electric bikes in New York State. Then perhaps the state could issues licenses and insurance for electric bike riders.

So far this year, the NYPD has issued more than 1,700 summonses and confiscated nearly 1,000 bikes.

Starting in January, the NYPD will issue tickets through the mail to business owners that use electric bikes for deliveries, in addition to stepped up enforcement of riders.

Li Tian Yang, 48, a delivery man at the rally who works in Chinatown, said through a translator that he doubts the fines will hurt the owners. He fears the NYPD will still confiscate his ID, and impound his electric bike. 

A spokesman for the mayor defended the enforcement.

“Electric bikes are illegal to operate on city streets and those at the top of the food chain need to be held accountable," said the spokesman, Austin Finan. "Instead of merely targeting riders, we’re going after businesses that look the other way and leave their workers to shoulder the fine.”

A coalition of advocates, including the Asian American Federation, Transportation Alternatives and the Biking Public Project, are calling on the mayor to stop ticketing delivery workers, create a training program to teach them best delivery practices, find a way to receive input from immigrant delivery people and work with state officials on new regulations.