Press Releases

Proposed rule will manage the use of e-bikes and e-scooters within park drives and greenways while continuing to ban mopeds and other heavy vehicles

Initiative is based on extensive public input gathered during 2-year pilot and ongoing public online mapping tool to identify hotspots and effective interventions

NYC Parks Commissioner Iris Rodriguez-Rosa today announced a plan to safely accommodate the millions of pedestrians, cyclists, and micromobility users that enjoy New York City’s public parks every year. Parks intends to propose rule amendments to permanently allow the same e-bikes and stand-up e-scooters that are allowed in bike lanes to also be operated on park drives and greenways. This plan builds on the recent street safety announcement by Mayor Eric Adams as well as a suite of physical infrastructure modifications being rolled out in Central Park.

“Our greenways and park drives connect New Yorkers to our citywide network of parks and greenspaces. It’s critically important that our public realm can safely accommodate the diverse ways that New Yorkers get around and enjoy our city's public spaces,” said NYC Parks Commissioner Iris Rodriguez-Rosa. “We are focused on improving safety in our parks, and allowing the same e-bikes and e-scooters that are allowed in city bike lanes on our park drives and greenways would make our city safer and more accommodating for pedestrians, cyclists, and e-mobility users alike.”

“E-bikes are a safe, environmentally friendly, and essential transportation and recreational options for thousands of New Yorkers, including families and older New Yorkers. We are proud to work closely with Parks on plans to safely accommodate all visitors to the city’s cherished parks and greenways—including through our redesign of Central Parks’ drives, where we are prioritizing pedestrian safety while also better accommodating cyclists and legal e-mobility options,” said NYC Department of Transportation (DOT) Commissioner Ydanis Rodriguez. “We look forward to our continued partnership with Parks to promote safety in our greenspaces.”

In 2023, Parks announced a pilot program to allow the same bicycles, e-bikes, and e-scooters that are legal to operate in NYC streets to also operate on park drives, such as the Central Park and Prospect Park loops, and greenways, such as the Brooklyn Waterfront Greenway. The City plans to implement the insights gained from the pilot to debut new methods for safely managing electric micromobility for the benefit of all park users, and to prevent heavier vehicles like mopeds from being operated in parks.

Parks, together with the Mayor’s Interagency Task Force on Electric Micromobility, continues to gather public input on the conditions of specific park drives and greenways through a new map-based input tool on our website, identifying hotspots for intervention.

“Opening up greenways and park drives to e-bikes and e-scooters is a critical step forward in adapting our city to transportation alternatives that allow more working-class New Yorkers to stay safely on the move. Thank you to Commissioner Rodriguez-Rosa and NYC Parks for recognizing that thoughtful design of public space can both improve street safety and contribute to our city’s equitable growth—especially for the tens of thousands of deliveristas who depend on e-bikes to make a living,” said Ligia Guallpa, Executive Director of Worker’s Justice Project; co-founder, Los Deliveristas Unidos. “When our infrastructure supports safe, dignified work for those powering our economy, it benefits everyone—creating a more accessible, sustainable, and worker-friendly city.”

“Central Park’s Drives are vital shared spaces for recreation, transportation, and community connection,” said Betsy Smith, President & CEO, Central Park Conservancy. “The Conservancy is committed to continuing our work to enhance safety and accessibility for everyone who uses them, and we appreciate our ongoing collaboration with NYC Parks and NYC DOT toward this shared goal.”

“Prospect Park Alliance is happy to see that everyday e-bikes allowed in City bike lanes may permanently be allowed in Prospect Park to enable a broader range of access to cycling for our community,” said Morgan Monaco, Prospect Park Alliance President and Prospect Park Administrator. “The pilot demonstrated that these types of bikes can harmoniously use our Park Drive alongside other cyclists and pedestrians. We also support the City's additional investment in the regulation of e-bikes and motorized vehicles to ensure our Park Drive is safe for all visitors. In terms of additional physical improvements to the Prospect Park Drive to improve safety, we thank the City for its recent pilot and look forward to working with the DOT and Parks to see through this pilot to ensure the entire Park Drive is adapted with safety improvements similar to its commitment to Central Park."

Mayor Eric Adams recently announced a slate of new policies to enhance street safety. In addition to implementing a citywide 15 mile-per-hour speed limit for e-bikes and e-scooters on city streets, DOT recently launched a first-of-its-kind trade in program for delivery workers to turn in their uncertified e-bikes or illegal mopeds for a certified e-bike with safe batteries. Additionally, Mayor Adams recently announced the creation of a Department of Sustainable Delivery within DOT for e-bike regulation and enforcement, funded at $6.1 million at full ramp-up. Parks will work with partners in DOT, NYPD, and across the City government to ensure all visitors are able to safely enjoy New York City’s shared public spaces.

Additionally, the City is exploring further physical safety measures in city parks to protect both riders of e-bikes and pedestrians walking near them. In partnership with Parks and the Central Park Conservancy, NYC DOT is implementing a number of changes to the Central Park drives to: