BARUCH COLLEGE–At Greenpath Electric Bikes in the South Slope area of Brooklyn, Damon Victor displays on the wall facing the front door the summons he received from the Department of Consumer Affairs, leveling nearly $20,000 in fines on charges that he illegally sold electronic bikes. Next to the summons is the dismissed verdict, after he successfully demonstrated that it is legal to sell them.
Whether it is legal to ride e-bikes in New York City is more confusing. Some city agencies seem to lump together the different classes of e-bikes and say they’re illegal. The city’s Department of Transportation says on its website, “The New York State Department of Motor Vehicles does not register electric bicycles, therefore their operation is prohibited in New York City.”