NYPD seizes e-bikes on a crowded East Village block. A law passed in May orders 5,000 bike parking stations, partly for delivery workers

Police confiscated 11 e-bikes this week along East 11th Street and First Avenue in the East Village, an NYPD spokesperson told Gothamist. For months, nearby businesses and residents have complained about parked delivery bikes crowding sidewalks and curbs there, sometimes by the hundreds.

The NYPD said the bikes were removed because they were parked illegally or because of concern their lithium-ion batteries could start fires. Owners got three weeks' warning and can get their bikes back, the department said.

A newly formed neighborhood coalition wants the bike parking spread across several blocks, the way Citi Bike docks are, Gothamist reported. A district manager of the local community board warned before the enforcement that workers could lose their livelihoods "with no warning and no education." A community kitchen near the block that serves many of the riders told Gothamist the workers would welcome formal parking. amNY has also covered the dispute.

Why it matters to residents: app delivery workers need places to wait between orders, and the city has few. Where they gather, sidewalks fill up. The fight on one East Village block reflects a citywide gap the Council has started to address.

What our records add

A law on bike parking, written with delivery workers in mind. Int. 93, from Gale A. Brewer with 15 sponsors, requires the Department of Transportation to install at least 5,000 bicycle parking stations over five years, at least 1,000 a year, according to the bill's plain-language summary. At least 2,000 must be on commercial blocks. When choosing sites, DOT must consider input from elected officials and community boards and "available data from food delivery services." It must post a map of the stations and report on the program by Jan. 1, 2032. The Council passed the bill May 20. It became law without the mayor's signature in June, our record shows.

Bills on how delivery work is regulated were heard in September and stalled. On Sept. 30, three committees held a joint hearing on e-bike and delivery bills (Transportation, Consumer and Worker Protection, Public Safety). Two of the bills heard were laid over:

• Int. 110, from Selvena N. Brooks-Powers with 10 sponsors, would extend the city's commercial bicycle safety rules to all delivery devices, including e-bikes and mopeds. Businesses would have to give workers safety gear, ID and safety information and keep records of them.
• Int. 244, from Crystal Hudson with 29 sponsors, would ban the sale and rental of class 3 e-bikes, the fastest pedal-assist type.

Many delivery workers who testified that day opposed more police enforcement and confiscation. We are not naming members of the public who testified.

Other worker bills have had no hearing. Int. 1037, from Shahana K. Hanif, deals with public bathroom access for delivery workers. It was introduced Sept. 10. Int. 582, from Jennifer Gutiérrez, would require delivery businesses to give workers fire-resistant battery containers. It has waited since Feb. 12.

Where this block sits. East 11th Street and First Avenue is in District 2, represented by Council Member Harvey D. Epstein. Our records show he co-sponsored Int. 93.

What's next

The NYPD says owners can retrieve their bikes. Neighbors told Gothamist they will keep pressing the city, the local community board and elected officials. Under Int. 93, DOT must keep adding parking stations each year and publish a map of them. None of the pending delivery worker bills is on a published committee agenda.