Mass e-bike seizure sparks tensions and debate on 11th Street

Photos and reporting by Stacie Joy 

In a coordinated enforcement effort yesterday afternoon, NYPD officers and Sanitation workers impounded dozens of e-bikes, mopeds, and bicycles from 11th Street between Avenue A and First Avenue.

The action, which began around noon and wrapped up by 3 p.m., took place on a day when the heat index hit 100 degrees and came amid mounting tensions over how public space is shared along this corridor.

Bikes locked to poles and scaffolding were cut free with power tools and loaded into NYPD vehicles. Personal items — including food delivery bags, folding chairs, and other belongings — were discarded.

 

The block was closed to vehicle traffic for the duration of the operation.

Nearby, the longtime food truck stationed at the southeast corner of 11th Street and First Avenue was asked to relocate. It moved across the avenue, and the corner space will now be used as a designated corral for legal bike parking.

A surge in complaints

The sweep followed a stretch of recent signage posted along the block announcing the scheduled "cleanup," part of a joint initiative by the 9th Precinct and the Department of Sanitation. 

Officials said the enforcement is a response to a surge in community complaints about noise, congestion, and food waste stemming from the block's unofficial use as a waiting and staging area for e-bike delivery workers (aka, deliveristas). Quality-of-life issues have been regularly mentioned at 9th Precinct Community Council meetings.

The area, particularly the sidewalk in front of the under-renovation Madina Masjid Islamic Council of America on the northeast corner, one of the city's oldest mosques, has become a gathering spot for the workers due to its central location and availability of curb space. 

Hector, a building super on the block, said the bikes often block access to trash bins and attract rats due to leftover food containers. 

"We can't get through some days," he said.

A mixed reaction

The enforcement action drew sharply mixed reactions. Some neighbors expressed gratitude to the police for "cleaning up the block." Others shouted at officers and tried to stop the bikes from being taken. 

A few residents translated information into French for West African delivery workers, many of whom were caught off guard. (The NYPD posted multiple flyers along here on Friday.)

"We don't sell drugs — we deliver food," said one delivery worker, declining to give his name. "We work hard. We buy a $2,000 bike, and they take it from us. How do we work now?" 

Said one officer: "We spoke to the community, we spoke to Joco [which provides e-bikes to delivery workers], we spoke directly to the delivery workers. We put up signs in multiple languages. This is community policing. This is not just us being the big, bad police." 

Tensions boiled over at times, with some skirmishes occurring among residents, law enforcement, sanitation, and the bike owners. 

One woman walking by screamed at the police, "Why?! Why are you harming them? Why are you taking their means for work?"

One sanitation worker looked at me ruefully and said, "This is the worst part of the job."

Police confirmed that no criminal summonses were issued, though some sanitation code violations may be forthcoming. 

All bikes were tagged and vouchered and are being held at the 9th Precinct for 30 days. A receipt or other proof of ownership is required to reclaim a bike. Officers stressed that no immigration documents are needed and that immigration status is not being checked.

Delivery workers insist they've taken steps to keep the area clean and orderly, but say they need somewhere to rest between jobs. Police maintain the broader goal is to balance the needs of workers, residents, and businesses in an increasingly crowded corridor. 

"This is not a one-time sweep," said one law enforcement source. "We'll continue to assess and enforce as needed. We're looking for a lasting solution."

All sides seemed to agree on one thing: This is a problem without a clear-cut solution.

Previously on EV Grieve: 

• Cleanup planned for E-bike hub on 11th Street following spike in complaints

Cleanup planned for E-bike hub on 11th Street following spike in complaints

Photos and reporting by Stacie Joy 

Signage recently went along 11th Street between Avenue A and First Avenue, announcing a scheduled cleanup of the heavily trafficked e-bike, moped and bicycle area. 

The effort — slated to begin today — is a joint initiative by the 9th Precinct and the Department of Sanitation, prompted by a surge in community complaints. 

The block is a popular spot for e-bike delivery workers to gather as they wait to fulfill deliveries, in part given the proximity of the under-renovation Madina Masjid Islamic Council of America, one of the city's most prominent mosques, founded in 1976. 

The signs, posted in English, Spanish, Arabic, French, and Wolof, notify residents and delivery workers that any bikes not moved by the cleanup date (the deadline was yesterday) will be removed and impounded.

According to residents and local officials, complaints about congestion, noise, and sanitation issues tied to the unofficial parking and staging area have intensified in recent months. The issue has become a recurring topic at neighborhood council meetings at the 9th Precinct. 

Police say this is part of a broader effort to address quality-of-life issues while balancing the needs of workers and residents. 

While some in the community have voiced frustration, many delivery workers — aka deliveristas — say they've taken steps to keep the area clean. 

Several riders on the block pointed out trash bags and brooms they've been using to manage the space themselves.

They also spoke to me, stating they need security here because they say their methods of transportation for making a living are often stolen. Despite using GPS and tracking devices, they claim police are not willing to help them track down their bikes.

In past years, the Madina Masjid mosque has drawn criticism from local residents and business owners due to "cabbies filling metered spaces and parking in front of fire hydrants, in truck loading zones and in bus lanes" to attend prayer services, according to published reports. 

Parking for prayer services has been an issue since the religious institution opened, per DNAinfo in 2013. What was once a battle over car congestion has shifted gears — now, it's all about the bikes for some residents. 

Updated

Late yesterday afternoon, EVG reader Choresh Wald shared this photo, noting that the city added a sidewalk extension on the SE corner of First Avenue and 11th Street. The perpetual food truck here even relocated to the SW corner of First Avenue and 11th Street...

... but it had returned within an hour...

We haven't received any updates about an extension here... we'll see if we can get clarification on what's happening.

14th Street residents looking for solutions for the congregating e-bike delivery workers

While 14th Street has been in the news recently, some residents hope the city will also pay attention to a different block. 

According to residents on the south side of 14th Street between Second Avenue and Third Avenue, for several months, there has been a steady increase in e-bike delivery workers congregating as they wait to fulfill deliveries. (Residents acknowledged that this situation isn't unique to this EV block or even neighborhood.) 

According to one resident who lives in a building here, "they are brazenly driving on the sidewalks, littering and congesting the walkways for residents, and blocking entrances to local businesses." 

The resident went on to say that "the problem has gotten substantially worse." Despite filing complaints with 311 and calling the 9th Precinct and District 2 City Councilmember Carlina Rivera's office,  "we haven't had much success."

The resident shared this video clip...

   

The residents say they're not trying to demonize the delivery workers who rely on their e-bikes to make a living, instead to find a solution for the burgeoning population of the city's deliveristas.

One solution hasn't garnered the necessary support. Local community boards (downtown and on the Upper West Side) have previously nixed plans from the Adams administration to open a rest and recharging facility for app-based delivery workers in former newsstands, as Streetsblog reported in March.

Meanwhile, GrubHub and JOCO, a company that makes rentable e-bikes, teamed up last summer to open "a rest stop" to help improve working conditions for delivery workers. The spaces offer safe places to recharge batteries and access restrooms. 

There are now two — a small outpost on West 51st Street that can accommodate 15 people and one on 12th Street just west of Avenue A with a 75-person capacity.

In late February, the city unveiled its first public e-bike charging station on Cooper Square, part of a pilot program titled "Charge Safe Ride Safe Action Plan." However, this station is limited to providing an FDNY-reviewed way to recharge lithium-ion batteries. The stations do not offer restrooms or other amenities. 

An e-bike repair shop for 7th Street

MNE Ebike Repair is now open at 117 E. Seventh St. between Avenue A and First Avenue. (Thanks to Rainer Turim for the photo.)

This marks the third e-bike shop to open in the East Village in 2024. (And with each arrival, we hear from some nervous neighbors who have concerns about possible fires and crowds of delivery workers.)

The storefront was previously Los Tacos NYC and a barista-training space for 787 Coffee.

The city's first public e-bike charging site for delivery workers unveiled on Cooper Square

City officials yesterday: 

... activated the first of five public e-battery charging locations as part of the city's new six-month pilot program to test safe, public charging of lithium-ion batteries by an initial group of 100 delivery workers. The first charging site is located in Cooper Square ... and is a key component of the administration's overall “Charge Safe, Ride Safe: New York City's Electric Micromobility Action Plan" to support safe e-bike use and prevent deadly lithium-ion battery fires. New York City is among the first major cities in the United States to launch a public e-bike charging pilot program.

The Essex Market will also receive an e-bike charging station in the coming weeks. 

Per the Times:

During the pilot program, up to 100 delivery workers can volunteer to use the charging hubs for free and provide feedback to the city. The program will cost about $950,000 in city funding. Its results will inform the city’s efforts "to expand safe and affordable e-battery charging to all New Yorkers," city transportation officials said.

The new charging sites come amid ongoing concerns over fires sparked by lithium-ion batteries.

According to ABC 7 and other media outlets, 18 people died, and 150 people were injured in 268 fires caused by lithium-ion batteries in NYC last year. 

Last Friday, 27-year-old journalist Fazil Khan was killed and 22 others injured during a fire in a six-floor apartment building in Harlem. FDNY officials said the fire started in an apartment shared by six delivery workers charging lithium-ion batteries. 

Meanwhile, the Times pointed out that the city received "a $25 million federal grant last year to install 173 outdoor charging stations for e-bikes and other e-mobility devices at 53 of the city’s subsidized public housing complexes, but none have been built yet."

It will likely be months before you see any signs of these, The City reported.

And another angle brought up in Streetsblog's coverage:

When it comes to electric charging infrastructure for cars, DOT has been able to install 100 chargers at sidewalks in all five boroughs within 18 months, and the agency is eyeing tens of thousands more in the coming decade, Streetsblog reported. 

Nevertheless, the asked why it appeared to be easier for the agency to accommodate electric cars than e-bikes, DOT Commissioner Ydanis Commissioner contended it was not more challenging to set up the e-bike infrastructure.

Photos courtesy of the DOT

An e-bike shop for 1st Street

Signage is up for 52V Primo E-bike in the eastern storefront at 44 E. First St. between First Avenue and Second Avenue. (H/T Mike!)

The signage says "electric bicycle/motorcycle sales and service." 

This will be the second e-bike shop to open in the East Village during the first quarter of 2024. Signage for Daniel's Bike Shop recently arrived on 14th Street near Second Avenue.

There has been a lot of turnover in the two storefronts here since 9300 Realty (aka Steve Croman) purchased the building in February 2011 for $2.3 million...  starting with Julius Klein's studio/gallery space, which moved on in June 2012. 

Reader report: Apartment fire at 182 Avenue B

The FDNY responded to a late-night (after 2 a.m.) fire at 182 Avenue B between 11th Street and 12th Street. 

EVG reader Joe shared these photos from this morning, showing soot and broken glass on the sidewalk... and a burned-up office chair on the fire escape outside the third-floor apartment where the fire started...

Officials at the scene blamed a lithium battery from an e-bike. (And per the Citizen app: "Firefighters advise that a lithium battery was involved in the fire.") 

There weren't reports of any injuries... and no word on the extent — if any — of damage to the ground-floor tenant, Haile Bistro. 

CBS 2 reported last month that "lithium-ion battery fires are prompting more and more apartment buildings to pull the plug on e-bikes." 

As NY1 reported yesterday: "The FDNY says 66 fires have been started by lithium-ion batteries, killing five people. Last year, the city saw 216 fires and six deaths related to the batteries." 

This past week, two people died after a fire on West 190th Street sparked by a lithium battery.

Tuesday's parting shots

Some e-bike drama today on Eighth Street just west of Broadway... as the FDNY was called in to douse the flames on a bike that caught fire... thanks to EVG reader MP for the shots...

Mayor vows to crack down on e-bikes

Mayor de Blasio announced yesterday that the city will crack down on businesses who allow their employees to use e-bikes for deliveries.

Here's part of the official announcement:

“E-bikes are illegal to operate in New York City and the NYPD is stepping up enforcement,” said Mayor de Blasio. “Those at the top of the food chain need to be held accountable. That’s why instead of merely targeting riders, we’re going after businesses that look the other way and leave their workers to shoulder the fine.”

E-bikes are illegal to operate on New York City streets. According to the City Administrative Code, an “e-bike” constitutes a “motorized scooter” and “no person shall operate a motorized scooter in the City of New York.” So far this year, the NYPD has seized 923 e-bikes compared to the 341 it confiscated this time last year, an increase of more than 170 percent. Nearly 1,800 civil and moving summonses have been issued to e-bike operators year-to-date.

Businesses that enable e-bike use and turn a blind eye to employees who operate them are also at fault. City law states that “a business using a bicycle for commercial purposes shall not possess any motorized scooter and shall not permit any person to operate a motorized scooter on behalf of such business.”

Beginning in 2018, the NYPD will issue a new department directive and provide officers with the necessary forms and training to execute civil enforcement against businesses much more efficiently by allowing officers to issue civil summonses to businesses through the mail. While the NYPD will continue confiscating e-bikes and issuing summonses to riders — particularly those riding in a hazardous manner — officers will step up enforcement activity against businesses that too often put their employees in a position to break the law.

Currently, riders caught operating an e-bike are subject to a civil summons, confiscation and fines of up to $500. Beginning next year, businesses that utilize e-bikes or allow employees to operate them will receive a civil summons and a $100 fine for a first offenses and a $200 fine for each subsequent offense.

Had a successful Ebike operation today issuing multiple summonses & seizing the following bikes @NYPDTransport #VisionZero #NYPD pic.twitter.com/i4qyMykMGr

— NYPD 9th Precinct (@NYPD9Pct) March 22, 2017

Jay Cai, the owner of Banhmigos restaurant in Brooklyn, told The Wall Street Journal that e-bikes are valuable "because of the increased and heavy traffic in New York and lack of parking spots." He said on average he gets 25 delivery orders an hour for a profit of $30,000 a month. Without an e-bike, he claimed that would drop by 50 percent.

Customers would be upset if they had to wait longer for deliveries, and “they’re not going to order again,” Mr. Cai said. “We’re not going to survive.”