June 5, 2019
RE: Micro-Mobility in New York, S. 5294/A. 7431
CHAIRMAN MICHAEL KEMPNER
PRESIDENT & CEO To the New York State Senate Transportation Committee, JESSICA WALKER
I write to you on behalf of the members of the Manhattan Chamber of Commerce, an organization that drives broad economic prosperity by helping businesses of all sizes to succeed in New York.
New York lags behind 27 states and more than 100 cities around the world that have a full-range of micro-mobility options. Dock-free e-scooters and pedal-assist electric bicycles can immediately improve the daily transportation needs of New Yorkers. The Governor put e-scooter authorization and e-bikes into the state budget, but it was cut along with other policy pieces that did not have to
do with revenue or spending. Now that we’re past the budget, we need to pass Senator Jessica Ramos and Assembly Member Nily Rozic’s bills (S. 5294/A. 7431) to authorize micro-mobility and take advantage of this opportunity to get moving.
In New York City, micro-mobility providers like Lime and Jump provide a dock-free bike and e-bike pilot program in the Rockaways, the Bronx and on Staten Island. These providers are already successfully filling transportation gaps that are improving the quality of life for New Yorkers. Since the program began last July, tens-of-thousands of New Yorkers have completed more than 100,000
dock-free bike rides.
White Plains, Yonkers and Ithaca also allowed shared bikes and e-bikes to hit their streets last year, with remarkable results. Lime reported 140,000 trips and close to 40,000 unique riders in White
Plains and Yonkers; and more than 100,000 trips by more than 17,000 riders in Ithaca.
Many of the riders in our areas are using dock-free bikes regularly to improve their commute to work or school. According to Lime’s End of Year report, 25% of New York City Lime riders rode to
and from public transportation; 23% rode to and from work or school. Shared bikes are also an environmentally friendly and efficient way for people to move around our communities as we try to reduce car traffic on our streets. And, most importantly, the bikes in these pilot zones have become an affordable, reliable option for the New Yorkers who need them the most: low-income residents.
Millions of New Yorkers in cities and big towns are not within reasonable walking distance of public transportation. Many of these communities tend to be lower-income and more diverse than those with easy access to mass transit.
The Regional Plan Association found that roughly a third of New York City residents do not have a subway stop within walking distance of their homes. The Pratt Center for Community Development concluded that of the 750,000 New York City residents who travel more than one hour each way to work, “two-thirds of them earn less than $35,000 a year.”
MANHATTAN CHAMBER OF COMMERCE | 575 FIFTH AVENUE, 14TH FLOOR | NEW YORK, NY 10017 T: 212.473.7875 | [email protected] | WWW.MANHATTANCC.ORG
Allowing more shared e-bikes would go a long way to fixing this critical problem. Expanding these options by also allowing electric scooters would go even further. Micro-mobility works in New York. We’ve seen the proof on our own streets. Now is the time to give every city and town the ability to provide these innovative options to its residents. New Yorkers everywhere should have the choice to use new reliable, affordable transportation options, regardless of their zip code. Let’s get moving.
Sincerely,
Jessica Walker President & CEO Manhattan Chamber of Commerce
cc: Hon. Timothy M. Kennedy, Chair, New York State Senate Transportation Committee Hon. Joseph E. Robach, Ranking Member, New York State Senate Transportation Committee Hon. Brian A. Benjamin, New York State Senate Transportation Committee Hon. David Carlucci, New York State Senate Transportation Committee Hon. Patrick M. Gallivan, New York State Senate Transportation Committee Hon. Chris Jacobs, New York State Senate Transportation Committee Hon. Todd Kaminsky, New York State Senate Transportation Committee Hon. Anna M. Kaplan, New York State Senate Transportation Committee Hon. John C. Liu, New York State Senate Transportation Committee Hon. Thomas F. O’Mara, New York State Senate Transportation Committee Hon. Roxanne J. Persaud, New York State Senate Transportation Committee Hon. Jessica Ramos, New York State Senate Transportation Committee Hon. Michael H. Ranzenhofer, New York State Senate Transportation Committee Hon. Luis R. Sepulveda, New York State Senate Transportation Committee Hon. James Skoufis, New York State Senate Transportation Committee
MANHATTAN CHAMBER OF COMMERCE | 575 FIFTH AVENUE, 14TH FLOOR | NEW YORK, NY 10017 T: 212.473.7875 | [email protected] | WWW.MANHATTANCC.ORG