Speed demons, beware — the city that never sleeps is about to become the city that never speeds.
Starting Friday, Oct. 24, a new 15 miles-per-hour limit will come into effect for Big Apple e-bike riders on all streets across the five boroughs, as well as on pathways inside of parks operated by the city.
But NYC officials may have their work cut out for them: a Post investigation — with a radar gun literally in hand — found that many riders on various makes and models are roaring along at nearly double that.
The new rule is meant to slow down speedy cyclists, including delivery riders rushing to drop off food orders, causing chaos for drivers and pedestrians.
Mayor Eric Adams’ office has directed that the new maximum speed for e-bikes, e-scooters and pedal-assist commercial bicycles — including popular Citi Bike rentals, which previously had an 18 mph limit.
However, during a recent weekday lunch rush, The Post took a radar gun out to Sixth Avenue in Midtown Manhattan, clocking some riders zipping about at 23 mph, weaving dangerously between cars and pedestrians.
One anonymous delivery rider, who uses an e-bike for food drop-offs, slammed the impending speed limit, saying 15 mph is “too slow,” while a pedestrian sided with their need for speed.
“You know why they go fast, right?” the stroller asked The Post. “The more orders they drop off, the more money they make.”
The brazen biker revealed that his e-vehicle has a pedal-assist speed of 25 mph, but claimed he could go even faster if he pedaled more vigorously — even admitting he won’t abide by the new rule.
Currently, it appears e-bike riders have a free-for-all when it comes to riding wherever they want at whatever speed they see fit.
The Post also ventured over to the Hudson River Greenway on the West Side. The greenway is a state path, and the new 15 mph rule won’t apply to that popular thoroughfare because e-bikes are already banned.
But numerous fast-moving e-riders were clocked on the road, some speeding at 23 mph there, too, flagrantly ignoring large signs saying their presence is prohibited.
While some are clearly not happy about the new speed limit, others seem to be in favor of it.
An anonymous e-scooter rider who stopped to talk with The Post praised the rule, saying, “I like it. Any faster [than 15 mph], and it’s really hard to react to potholes, pedestrians [and] cars.”
He admitted he had previously been embroiled in a collision on his e-scooter, hit by “a small bus” as he moved along a city street.
“I was knocked to the ground,” he recalled. “I thought I was done.”
It remains unclear how well the 15 mph rule can be enforced, given that riders don’t need registration.
“As New Yorkers adjust to this new law, our focus will be on education first and enforcement second — this includes installing new signage in key cycling corridors and issuing warnings to first-time offenders,” Adams said in a statement to The Post. “This isn’t about criminalization; it’s about creating safer, fairer conditions for all New Yorkers.”
The New York Police Department does plan to issue warnings to cyclists when they exceed the speed limit, though it would be a secondary notice when they witness other violations. Regardless, it is unclear how violators will be clocked.
Both the NYPD and the city Department of Transportation will be doing outreach to e-bike riders, including messaging on LinkNYC kiosks and push notifications via NotifyNYC. The DOT is also installing signage designating the new limit along cycling corridors.
Queens council member Bob Holden doesn’t seem to have much faith in the new speed check, previously saying: “These riders have been ignoring traffic laws for years, and without license plates and real enforcement, the danger will only grow.”
One nonchalant rider agreed: “I don’t know how you’re going to enforce that. We’re in New York, people do what they want.”
According to the DOT, e-bike fatalities in NYC declined in the first half of this year compared to that same time period in 2024 (six fatalities vs. nine fatalities). However, collisions are up over 11% from last year, per the NYPD’s TrafficStat report.
Some e-bike riders argue that it’s not the speed, but rather pedestrians, that are contributing to the spike in crashes.
“They’re always head down on their phones, distracted,” one biker told The Post. “They step out onto the street without even looking.”
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