NEW YORK (BRAIN) — City Councilman Frank Morano and several residents are suing Mayor Zohran Mamdani for overturning a criminal enforcement policy for e-vehicle violations in March.
Morano, who represents the 51st Council District, is suing in a personal capacity, and according to the lawsuit filed in the Supreme Court of the State of New York. according to the suit he "personally witnessed a noticeable decrease in reckless e-bike ridership." He's joined by eight residents who say they have either been injured or suffered near-misses.
According to the lawsuit, e-vehicles — including e-bikes and e-scooters — "now run wild in New York City, traveling at high rates of speed, blowing through stop signs and red lights, barreling through crosswalks and weaving through streets and bike lanes, often in the wrong direction. ... The situation is safe for no one."
To address the issue, Police Commissioner Jessica Tisch enacted a new policy in April 2025 to issue criminal summonses for e-vehicle traffic violations. Because e-vehicle riders are unregistered, the lawsuit states, civil summonses were not enough of a deterrent and largely ignored.
The lawsuit cites data showing the average fatalities, crashes, and injuries declined by about 30% between April 28, 2025, and May 27, 2026, with the NYPD issuing about 21,000 criminal court summonses for cycling-applicable violations, an increase from fewer than 1,200 in the four months before the enforcement began.
Mamdani took office on Jan. 1, 2026, and two months later, issued an executive mandate that prohibits the police department from using criminal enforcement for e-vehicle violations that force them to appear in criminal court. Failure to appear could result in a bench warrant or arrest. In a news release issued March 18, Mamdani said e-bike riders and cyclists violating traffic offenses — like running a stop sign — will be addressed through the same civil summons process as motorists.
"This change ensures accountability while ending a punitive system that has disproportionately burdened working New Yorkers," according to the release.
In addition, Mamdani and the New York City Department of Transportation started a safety training program for delivery workers and also worked with the City Council to pursue legislation "to address unsafe practices by third-party delivery app companies — practices that often incentivize dangerous riding through unrealistic delivery times."
The lawsuit says the Mamdani's mandate cited no data nor studies, only saying the Tisch's policy was unfair to food-delivery riders. Further, according to the lawsuit, "the Mamdani Policy Directive creates a severe, disparate impact on the elderly and disabled New Yorkers, who rely on the safety of public sidewalks and crosswalks as a matter of basic mobility and survival."
The plaintiffs ask for declaring the mandate arbitrary and capricious, that it violates the separation of powers doctrine, is pre-empted by state law, and violates the New York City Human Rights Law and Americans with Disabilities Act. The lawsuit also asks for awarding plaintiffs attorneys' and experts' fees, and granting any further relief the court deems proper.
