The unintended consequences of Suffolk's e-bike law

Suffolk County recently passed one of the most restrictive e-bike laws in New York State. The intent is understandable: curb reckless behavior — often by teenagers — and improve safety on public roads. On its face, that goal is hard to dispute.

But as written, the law creates consequences that reach far beyond its intended targets.

New York State addressed e-bikes in 2020 by classifying them into three categories based on speed and function, permitting their use on most public roads while restricting access to major highways over 30 mph — roads such as Sunrise Highway and Nesconset Highway, where higher speeds create obvious safety concerns. Suffolk County's new law takes a broader approach, banning all e-bikes from any road with a posted speed limit above 30 mph, including ordinary local corridors that connect neighborhoods, downtowns and essential services. (It does the same for electric scooters.)

That sweeping restriction is where the problem begins.

The law makes no distinction between types of roads or classes of e-bikes, and treats a responsible adult using pedal assist largely the same as a reckless rider speeding through traffic (the only difference is reckless riding also warrants impoundment). In doing so, it effectively removes e-bikes from many of the very roads that connect communities.

For residents like me, the impact is immediate and impractical. I began using an e-bike four years ago while preparing for knee replacement surgery and now ride roughly 1,800 miles a year. Under the new law, I can no longer legally travel along Route 25A in Stony Brook and Setauket — a 35-mph corridor that links essential destinations. That includes access to my bank, grocery store, pharmacy and local hardware store. Even short, everyday trips — to a deli, a park or a community event — now fall into a legal gray area or are outright prohibited.

The restriction extends further. Designated bike lanes along these roads are effectively unusable for e-bikes. New York State developed a network of bike lanes starting from Huntington along Route 25A going all the way to Orient Point, on Route 24 from Riverhead to Hampton Bays, and on Route 27 from Southampton to Montauk Point. Most of these routes, which go through many historic towns and villages in Suffolk, have speed limits above 30 mph. Even routine activities like voting, which for me involve connecting bike paths that intersect with 25A, are illegal.

E-bikes are not just recreational devices. They provide low-impact mobility for older residents and support environmentally responsible transportation, especially with the high cost of gasoline. They also help sustain local economies by making downtowns more accessible without adding cars to already crowded roads. Hundreds of students and faculty in my community use e-bikes along Route 25A to get to and from Stony Brook University and work. The law also impacts low-wage workers who rely on e-bikes to get to and from work; many can't afford a car or gas.

As written, the law undercuts these benefits while doing little to specifically address the reckless behavior that prompted it. Well-crafted policy should be precise. This law is blunt, and it penalizes responsible riders.

Suffolk County has an opportunity to correct course — by refining the law to target unsafe conduct, not eliminate an entire mode of transportation from large portions of the community.

Good intentions should lead to good outcomes. Right now, this law falls short of that standard.

This guest essay reflects the views of Joseph A. Betz, professor of architecture at Farmingdale State College and a former member of the Brookhaven Town Planning Board.