The New York City Council’s Committees on Public Safety, Transportation and Infrastructure, and Consumer and Worker Protection held a historic joint hearing on Wednesday, September 30, 2026, from 10:00 AM to well into the evening. The hearing examined micromobility regulation, accountability, and safety in New York City, and considered a record 23 pieces of legislation and two resolutions. No votes were taken; all bills were heard and laid over or filed, with the oversight item filed.
Silence, please, silence please. Good morning, good morning. Welcome to New York City Council hearing on the Committee on Transportation Infrastructure, Consumer and Worker Protection, and Public Safety. At this time, please silence all electronics and do not approach the days. Make sure you assign a slip. If you haven't so already with the Sergeant at Arms. Any questions or concerns, please reach a sergeant at arms. Thank you for your cooperation, Chair. You may begin. Good morning and welcome to today's joint hearing of the New York City Council's committees on transportation and infrastructure, consumer and worker protections, and public safety. I am Councilmember Sean Abreu, Majority Leader and Chair of the Committee on Transportation and Infrastructure. I would like to thank Speaker Menon, Chairs Epstein and Felice, the administration, and all of you for being here today to discuss this very important topic. To begin, I want to return to the days before we announce this hearing. A 17-year-old man, Gabriel Nicato, was on his way to work one morning on an e-bike that his uncle purchased for him. His family had been told by the seller that the machine was safe and legal. Neither were true. The company, which encouraged writers to quote, fuel the rush, sold a bike that was faster and more powerful than permitted on our streets. Gabriel died just outside City Hall. E-bike collisions are up 31.7% this year over last year. E-bike technology has expanded in remarkable ways, expanding how New Yorkers commute, transforming our food delivery landscape, and providing new recreational opportunities. But our infrastructure and our policy has not kept up, and there has been a deadly cost. Before we proceed, I also want to acknowledge that there have been 10 hit and run deaths in New York City in less than two months. These were pedestrian and cyclists who were hit by cars who fled the scene to avoid accountability. The drivers in these cases include reckless drivers traveling high speeds in neighborhoods known for speed racing as well as commercial drivers and trucks unsafe for busy pedestrian corridors. Even as we have prepared for this hearing, our efforts to address dangerous drivers and crashes have never slowed. And on October 27, notice today, our vision zero hearing will include a suite of bills aimed at addressing the risk from cars. We can and will address street safety from every angle. Thank you so much, uh Majority Leader Abreu, and I really want to thank you and the other chairs, um, Chair Epstein and Chair Feliz and all of the staff of all of the three committees for their work in preparing for today's critical hearing. So today we are examining an issue that touches the lives of millions of New Yorkers, and I think we see that from the incredible turnout from all of you today. Micromobility devices and the need to ensure that they are used safely and responsibly on our streets. Over the past two decades, New York City has made tremendous progress in expanding transportation options. We've invested in bicycle infrastructure, introduced bike sharing, and embrace new technologies that allow New Yorkers to move through our city more efficiently and sustainably. Motorized microbial devices have become commonplace on our streets, with electric bicycles, electric scooters, and other devices becoming an integral part of New York City. They've created new modes of commuting, expanded access to jobs, and become an essential tool for thousands of working New Yorkers. But with these opportunities comes a serious responsibility to ensure that our streets remain safe for everyone. Over the years, we have heard repeatedly from pedestrians who are afraid to walk on crowded sidewalks, have been forced to look left, right, left, and right and left again, literally to feel safe crossing the street. We've seen cyclists concerned about faster motorized devices in bicycle lanes and delivery workers who face dangerous conditions while simply trying to earn a living. As Speaker, I believe the council has a responsibility to meticulously examine the micromobility landscape and address the major gaps in our laws that have emerged, particularly as technology and transportation habits have changed. But we also have a responsibility to hold the administration accountable for enforcing the laws that are already on the books. Laws that ban the operation and the sale of high speed, uncertified devices in our city, and some of which haven't been enforced in decades. Several of the recent tragedies we've seen this summer involve motorized micromobility devices that should never have been allowed to be sold, purchased, or ridden in the first place. Last month, I also sent a letter to Commissioner Flynn asking that they work with Lyft to implement age verification technology for riders. And let me be clear, we are also working on legislation, which we'll be releasing very soon that will mandate that safety precaution. Other approaches, such as larger and more visible identification numbers on city bike, the increase accountability should be immediately enforced. These common sense ideas can be legislated along with an educational campaign to keep minors safe. Addressing this safety crisis is a multi-pronged effort. It requires informing consumers of the risks of the devices they are purchasing, holding businesses accountable for the safety of the products they advertise and sell, and ensuring that the delivery companies share responsibility for the safety of the workers who power their operations. And let me just say another word on that. Licensing, and I say this as a former commissioner of the Department of Consumer and Worker Protection. Licensing is one of the most powerful regulatory tools we have, and we as a council intend to use it.