Why Boston wants to ban some residents from using e-bikes

Boston City Councilor Ed Flynn has filed a new ordinance that would ban delivery app drivers in the city from using e-bikes, mopeds, or other motorized scooters to make deliveries, citing growing safety concerns.

According to local outlet WCVB-TV, Flynn’s proposal comes after months of complaints from residents about reckless riding behavior. In the ordinance, Flynn wrote, “On a near daily basis, city residents have shared how these motorized vehicles, which can travel more than 20 mph, do not obey the rules of the road – driving the wrong way on our streets, on sidewalks, speeding, running stop signs and red lights, weaving between vehicles at red lights, and posing an unpredictable danger to pedestrian safety.”

He argued that third-party delivery companies are “incentivizing low-wage workers to prioritize speed over safety in order to receive more order assignments.”

The proposal has been sent to committee for review. Reactions among residents appear mixed, with some support for the measure but many local residents citing concerns ranging from the impact on delivery riders, many of whom can’t afford cars, to the reduced efficiency and slower delivery speeds of car delivery in a city often better traversed on two wheels.

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And that’s where the proposal begins to raise bigger questions.

Notably, the ordinance only targets delivery app drivers. It would not ban other residents from riding e-bikes in the same manner. If the concern is riders running red lights, speeding, or riding on sidewalks, those behaviors are not exclusive to delivery workers. The proposal addresses one group of riders, but it doesn’t eliminate the underlying unsafe behavior.

Flynn himself acknowledged enforcement gaps, telling WCVB, “We have to enforce the rules on the book, and Boston can’t be the wild west, we need to enforce our traffic laws.” That statement arguably undercuts the need for a ban in the first place. If the rules are already on the books, the solution may be stronger enforcement – not prohibiting a specific class of riders from using a particular vehicle.

Electrek’s Take

There’s no question that dangerous riding behavior should be addressed. Running red lights, riding on sidewalks at high speeds, and weaving unpredictably through traffic are unacceptable – whether on an e-bike, a scooter, or a car.

But banning delivery riders from using e-bikes feels like an overcorrection.

We don’t ban pizza delivery drivers from using cars if they run red lights. We ticket them. For serious infractions or repeat offenders, we impound vehicles if necessary. We enforce the law. The same standard should apply here.

E-bikes are often the most affordable and efficient way for delivery workers to do their jobs. Forcing them into cars could increase congestion, emissions, and delivery costs – without actually solving the core issue of reckless behavior.

I’ve worked as a delivery rider on an e-bike and so I understand the pressure that riders are under to make deliveries quickly. So there is a balance here, and working with riders and delivery companies is part of the solution. Another part is enforcement. But blanket bans? I’m sorry, but no. That’s not going to help anyone. It’s just going to make more outlaws, create more traffic, and eventually mean everyone gets their food colder.

If Boston wants safer streets, the answer isn’t to single out one group of riders and remove a vehicle option. The answer is consistent, visible enforcement of traffic laws – for everyone.

Lead image credit: Pablo Cordero via Pexels