A bill to allow electric-powered bicycles to share the road in New York state is supposed to be introduced to the state Senate this month after passing the Assembly by a 127-1 margin March 2.
Despite the overwhelming support and apparent commons-sense nature of the bill, there is no guarantee that Democrat-controlled Legislature will pass the bill this session.
Electric bicycles have been viewed as a niche industry, said Andy Koblick, founder, CEO and President of Electrik Motion, based in New City, a company he started eight years ago. But lately, stronger and more powerful bikes, concerns about climate change and the cost of gas have opened opportunities to sell electric bikes to commuters and others who prefer to leave their car behind.
Koblick has been pushing for two years to get the electric bike law passed. He said currently New York regulates electric bicycles like mopeds, requiring registration and other requirements before they can legally travel on roadways. Getting New York state to recognize electric bicycles”™ right to be on the road without the need for a registration would encourage more consumers to switch to an easy, convenient and ultimately economical mode of travel that is emission free.
With the law on their side, Koblick said, bicycle riders can push for investment in common-sense conveniences available in bike-friendly states like Oregon, where plug-in stations to recharge bikes are available at train stations serving daily commuters. Â
Koblick sells the Rayos full suspension electric bicycle, an eight-speed electric bike with a 600 watt motor powered by a 14 amp 24 volt motor, it can go for 20 miles on a single charge and uses a simple plug-in charger to power the motor. It also peddles easily in flat places or where a rider doesn”™t mind a little leg work. It retails for about $1100. Getting state law to favor bikes would be an important hurdle to help sales and to help change entrenched behaviors that see a car as the way to commute.
There is hope the state Senate may join the Assembly in passing the law this year.
“We have a bill that is going in [for consideration] very shortly,” said Stephen Powers counsel to state Sen. Thomas P. Morahan, a Rockland County Republican. But he added that so far, Democrats who control the body for the first time in decades have not signed on to support the measure and he said “There”™s no guarantee what will happen when it gets to the floor.”
State Sen. Martin Malave Dilan, a Democrat and chairman of the state Senate transportation committee, did not return a call seeking input on the fate of the bill.
But Powers said that Morahan is a Senate veteran with a proven ability to get legislation passed, although he put forth that with Democrats instead of fellow Republicans in charge of the chamber, the pace of approving legislation has slowed to a crawl compared to previous years. But he noted the overwhelming support for the identical legislation in the Democratic-controlled Assembly and said on the merits, passage of the bill is a good idea for New Yorkers.
“It”™s a good bill,” said Powers. “The whole idea is to take it out of the concept of motor vehicle and to define electric-assisted bicycles as a bicycle and not a motor vehicle. So if you wanted to commute to the train, for example you can do that. I see the practicality in that aspect, I think it”™s a good idea. And from a business aspect, I see a market for it.”
