Read the full article here.

By Carol Tannenhauser

Four Upper West Side legislators shared a Zoom screen Tuesday night to discuss e-bike safety (or the lack of it), but on at least one issue they were not all on the same page.

In an online forum sponsored by the UWS Coalition of Block Associations & Community Groups, Upper West Side City Councilmember Shaun Abreu stood apart from Councilmember Gale Brewer when he said in his opening statement that he had agreed to co-sponsor Councilmember Robert Holden’s bill, requiring the registration and licensing of all e-bikes, e-scooters, and other legal motorized vehicles with the city’s Department of Transportation.

Abreu acknowledged that “it’s not a perfect bill by any means,” which is why he held off on sponsoring it for as long as he did, he said. “But I had many conversations with constituents and realized there wasn’t a lot of opportunity for the Council to have a serious conversation about e-bike safety, and a hearing for this bill would be our chance. You need 34 sponsors to just get a bill heard. I got on this bill because, at a minimum, we should be having this conversation.”