Mayor Zohran Mamdani would not commit to removing dangerous e-bikes from city streets or support legislation requiring the vehicles to be registered — even as he acknowledged the danger posed by the motorcycle-like machines.

Instead, Mamdani announced at a City Hall press conference Wednesday that his administration had issued cease-and-desist orders to 42 online retailers illegally selling high-speed e-bikes and scooters in New York City, threatening $2,000 fines per illegal sale if the retailers don’t comply.

“We cannot and will not accept these dangerous vehicles on our city streets. And yet, the companies that sell these vehicles continue to market them to New Yorkers who trust that the product they are purchasing is legal in the city that they call home,” Mamdani said.

Mayor Zohran Mamdani announced cease-and-desist orders against online retailers accused of illegally selling high-speed e-bikes, stand-up e-scooters, and other motorized devices. Matt Roberts/Shutterstock

The announcement came a day after City Council Speaker Julie Menin unveiled a slate of legislation aimed at cracking down on lawless e-bikers, arguing the city’s existing laws aren’t being properly enforced.

Mamdani’s order targets future sales of three categories of illegal devices: stand-up scooters weighing over 100 pounds or capable of exceeding 20 miles per hour; e-bikes with motors bigger than 750 watts or able to hit speeds above 25 miles per hour; and seated mopeds lacking a valid vehicle identification number.

But Mamdani demurred when asked whether he would direct his administration to go after vehicles that have already been sold.

“For now, this is our focus,” he said.

The cease-and-desist order requires retailers to comply by Aug. 18. 

Mamdani said his administration would conduct ongoing inspections of both online retailers and brick-and-mortar stores to ensure compliance after that deadline.

A Department of Transportation spokesperson did not say how many retailer inspections the agency had conducted this year since Mamdani took office, nor could the spokesperson clarify which agency is responsible for tracking those inspections.

City Council Speaker Julie Menin unveiled a slate of legislation Tuesday aimed at cracking down on lawless e-bikers, arguing the city’s existing laws aren’t being properly enforced. William Farrington for The NY Post

The mayor also declined to support legislation requiring e-bikes and scooters to be registered — a step that safety advocates said would make it easier to hold reckless riders accountable with traffic cameras or bystander footage.

“I do not believe that would actually improve street safety, and that’s not an approach I would pursue,” Mamdani said.

A spokesperson for the NYC E-Vehicle Safety Alliance said “hell no” the mayor hasn’t done enough to protect New Yorkers from the souped-up e-bikes barreling through the city’s bike lane network.

“Hell no. It was an impotent response by the mayor that does nothing to get the highly dangerous illegal e-vehicles off the street,” the spokesperson said.

A 17-year-old on an e-bike was fatally struck by an SUV in the bike lane exit from the Brooklyn Bridge at Centre Street and Chambers Street last week. William Farrington for The NY Post

“He would not commit to enforcement or e-vehicle registration,” the spokesperson added. “We are left with the same failed policies that created this deadly public health crisis, which has plagued the city for five years. Look at ER stats — it is crystal clear that e-vehicle trauma admissions are only increasing, all while the mayor does absolutely nothing.”

The illegal rides were responsible for more than half of all e-bike rider deaths since 2017, according to the mayor’s office, and an NYU Langone study, published in April, found that “micromobility” crashes grew from under 10% of bike and scooter trauma cases in 2018 to more than half by 2023 — and now account for nearly 7% of all trauma admissions at the hospital.

Mamdani’s own DOT commissioner, Mike Flynn — who stood beside the mayor at the press conference — acknowledged the scope of the problem. 

“There are illegal devices on our streets that are causing confusion and creating safety risks,” Flynn said.

A 17-year-old riding an illegal Deepower QS7 was killed near the Brooklyn Bridge after colliding with a parked SUV in Lower Manhattan.

A jogger in Central Park last month spent weeks in a coma after being struck by an e-bike.

The city is already facing a lawsuit over Mamdani’s decision to end criminal enforcement against reckless e-bike riders in March.

The mayor — moments after declining to prioritize enforcement against illegal bikes already on the streets — pointed out the law that bans these dangerous vehicles has been in place for six years while these retailers have continued to sell the outlawed vehicles.

“What use is a law if it’s not being enforced?” Mamdani asked.