Mayor Zohran Mamdani has rolled back one of the most contested street-safety policies he inherited, ending the New York Police Department’s practice of issuing criminal summonses to cyclists and e-bike riders for minor traffic offenses.

Under a directive taking effect Friday, March 27, 2026, those low-level violations are now routed through the same civil summons process used for drivers — a ticket, not a criminal court date. The prior administration had ramped up criminal summonses for cyclists during a 2025 enforcement push, a policy advocates said treated people on bikes more harshly than people in cars for comparable infractions.

“Every New Yorker on our roads, whether driving or biking, deserves to be treated fairly,” Mamdani said in announcing the change. An NYPD spokesman, Brad Weekes, confirmed the department would comply with the directive.

Not a free pass

The mayor’s office and street-safety advocates pushed back on the framing that the move lets scofflaws off the hook. Riders still get ticketed for violations; the distinction is that minor offenses are now civil rather than criminal, mirroring how the city handles equivalent driver conduct. Streetsblog and other transportation outlets stressed that the change does not decriminalize dangerous riding so much as end a two-tier system.

The reversal does not touch a separate rule already on the books: a 15 mph citywide speed limit for e-bikes, which took effect October 24, 2025 under city regulations. That cap remains in force.

Going after the delivery apps

Rather than penalizing individual delivery workers, the Mamdani administration says it will target the business model behind unsafe riding. It plans to work with the City Council on legislation that would:

  • Require third-party delivery companies — the platforms behind app-based food and grocery delivery — to provide trip-level data to the Department of Transportation on deliveries, worker penalties and safety incidents;
  • Authorize the city to set safe delivery-time standards and to regulate the penalties those companies impose on workers; and
  • Authorize DOT to require enhanced training for delivery workers who repeatedly ride unsafely, with commercial-cycling training expanded to cover mopeds and motorcycles.

DOT also said it would launch a delivery-worker safety program, offered online in multiple languages, to reach the immigrant workforce that dominates app delivery.

Citi Bike and Lyft

The administration is separately partnering with Lyft, which operates Citi Bike, on hardware upgrades meant to deter unsafe use — including changes to discourage multiple riders on a single Citi Bike — and on a forthcoming education and safety campaign developed with the advocacy group Transportation Alternatives.

The bigger picture

The package reframes e-bike safety as a labor-and-corporate-accountability issue rather than a policing one. With delivery cycling now a fixture of New York streets, the administration is betting that pressure on the apps that set delivery quotas — paired with civil rather than criminal enforcement of individual riders — will do more for street safety than summonses. The legislation’s fate now rests with the City Council.

Verification

Frequently Asked Questions

What exactly changed for cyclists and e-bike riders?
Beginning Friday, March 27, 2026, the NYPD stopped issuing criminal summonses to cyclists and e-bike riders for low-level traffic offenses. Those violations are now handled through the same civil summons process that applies to drivers, meaning a ticket rather than a criminal court appearance for minor infractions.
Does this mean reckless riding goes unpunished?
No. Riders still receive tickets for traffic violations; the change is that minor offenses are civil rather than criminal. The administration says serious and dangerous conduct can still be enforced, and it is pursuing legislation targeting the delivery companies whose quotas it blames for unsafe riding.
What is the 15 mph e-bike speed limit?
Separately from the enforcement change, NYC set a 15 mph operating cap for e-bikes citywide, which took effect October 24, 2025 under city rules. That speed limit remains in place.
What would the new legislation require of delivery apps?
The administration wants City Council legislation requiring third-party delivery companies to hand DOT trip-level data on deliveries, worker penalties and safety incidents, to authorize the city to set safe delivery-time standards, and to require enhanced training for workers who repeatedly ride unsafely.