File #: Int 0194-2024    Version: * Name: Establishing a task force to study the feasibility of building charging stations for bicycles with electric assist to be used by food delivery workers.
Type: Introduction Status: Committee
Committee: Committee on Transportation and Infrastructure
On agenda: 2/28/2024
Enactment date: Law number:
Title: A Local Law in relation to establishing a task force to study the feasibility of building charging stations for bicycles with electric assist to be used by food delivery workers
Sponsors: Jennifer Gutiérrez, Lincoln Restler, Alexa Avilés, Julie Won, Tiffany Cabán, Christopher Marte, Shahana K. Hanif, Sandy Nurse, Crystal Hudson, Gale A. Brewer, Amanda Farías
Council Member Sponsors: 11
Summary: This bill would establish a task force to determine whether and where charging stations for bicycles with electric assist can be built for exclusive use by food delivery workers. The task force will review the cost of building and operating the charging stations, including whether some or all of that cost can be borne by third party courier services or third party delivery services; where such charging stations should be located; whether the operation of the charging stations would best be done by third parties; whether charging station use could be limited to the class of food delivery workers; whether food delivery workers can use the charging stations for free or at low cost; and the way in which such charging stations can mitigate fire risk caused by the lithium-ion batteries contained in bicycles with electric assist.
Indexes: Other Appointment Required, Report Required
Attachments: 1. Summary of Int. No. 194, 2. Int. No. 194, 3. February 28, 2024 - Stated Meeting Agenda, 4. Hearing Transcript - Stated Meeting 2-28-24, 5. Minutes of the Stated Meeting - February 28, 2024

Int. No. 194

 

By Council Members Gutiérrez, Restler, Avilés, Won, Cabán, Marte, Hanif, Nurse, Hudson, Brewer and Farías

A Local Law in relation to establishing a task force to study the feasibility of building charging stations for bicycles with electric assist to be used by food delivery workers

 

Be it enacted by the Council as follows:

 

Section 1. Definitions. For purposes of this local law, the following terms have the following meanings:

Bicycle with electric assist. The term “bicycle with electric assist” has the meaning provided in section 102-c of the vehicle and traffic law.

E-bike. The term “e-bike” has the same meaning as the term “bicycle with electric assist” as provided in section 102-c of the vehicle and traffic law.

Food delivery worker. The term “food delivery worker” means any natural person or any organization composed of no more than one natural person, whether or not incorporated or employing a trade name, who is hired, retained, or engaged as an independent contractor by a food service establishment, as an independent contractor of a third-party food delivery service required to be licensed pursuant to section 20-563.1 or as an independent contractor of a third-party courier service to deliver food, beverage, or other goods from a business to a consumer in exchange for compensation.

Third-party courier service. The term “third-party courier service” means a service that (i) facilitates the same-day delivery or same-day pickup of food, beverages, or other goods from a food service establishment on behalf of a third-party food delivery service and (ii) that is owned and operated by a person other than the person who owns such food service establishment.

Third-party food delivery service. The term “third-party food delivery service” means any website, mobile application, or other internet service that: (i) offers or arranges the sale of food and beverages prepared by, and the same-day delivery or same-day pickup of food or beverages from, a food service establishment; and (ii) that is owned and operated by a person other than the person who owns such food service establishment.

§ 2. Task force established. There is hereby established a task force to study e-bike charging stations for food delivery workers.

§ 3. Duties. The task force shall study the feasibility of building charging stations for bicycles with electric assist and shall make recommendations for whether and where such charging stations should be built. Those recommendations shall take into account the cost of building and operating such charging stations, including whether that cost could be borne in whole or in part by third-party courier services or third-party food delivery services or whether there are other appropriate sources of funding, the potential locations for such charging stations, including any land use considerations governing their placement, whether such charging stations should be operated by third-parties, how such charging stations could potentially be reserved for exclusive use by food delivery workers, whether food delivery workers could use the charging stations for free or at low cost, and the way in which such charging stations could mitigate fire risk caused by the lithium-ion batteries contained in bicycles with electric assist.

§ 4. Membership. a. The task force shall be composed of the following members:

1. The commissioner of transportation or such commissioner’s designee, who shall serve as chair;

2. The commissioner of buildings or such commissioner’s designee;

3. The commissioner of city planning or such commissioner’s designee;

4. The commissioner of design and construction or such commissioner’s designee;

5. The chief technology officer, or their designee;

6. The commissioner of consumer and worker protection, or such commissioner’s designee;

7. The commissioner of the fire department, or such commissioner’s designee;

8. The commissioner of parks and recreation, or such commissioner’s designee;

9. Two individuals who are experts on battery charging infrastructure, as appointed by the mayor;

10. Two individuals employed as, or serving as representatives of, food delivery workers in New York, as appointed by the mayor;

11. An individual who is an advocate for e-bike safety within New York, as appointed by the mayor.

b. The mayor shall invite the president of the New York City economic development corporation, the chair of the New York City housing authority, and the chair of Con Edison and may invite officers and representatives of relevant federal, state and local agencies and authorities to participate in the work of the task force.

c. All appointments required by this section shall be made no later than 90 days after the effective date of this local law.

d. Each member of the task force shall serve at the pleasure of the officer who appointed the member. In the event of a vacancy on the task force, a successor shall be appointed in the same manner as the original appointment for the remainder of the unexpired term. All members of the task force shall serve without compensation.

§ 5. Meetings. a. The chair shall convene the first meeting of the task force no later than 30 days after the last member has been appointed, except that where not all members of the task force have been appointed within the time specified in section four, the chair shall convene the first meeting of the task force within 10 days of the appointment of a quorum.

b. The task force may invite experts and stakeholders to attend its meetings and to provide testimony and information relevant to its duties.

c. The task force shall meet no less than once each quarter to carry out the duties described in section three.

d. The meeting requirement of subdivision c shall be suspended when the task force submits its report as required by section six.

§ 6. Report. a. No later than 270 days after the effective date of this local law, the task force shall submit a report to the mayor and the speaker of the council setting forth its recommendations for legislation and policy relating to whether and where charging stations for bicycles with electric assist to be used by food delivery workers should be built.  The report shall include a summary of information the task force considered in formulating its recommendations.

b. The commissioner of transportation shall publish the task force’s report electronically on the website of the department of transportation no later than 10 days after its submission to the mayor and the speaker of the council.

§ 7. Agency support. Each agency affected by this local law shall provide appropriate staff and resources to support the work of such agency related to the task force.

§ 8. Termination. The task force shall terminate 180 days after the date on which it submits its report, as required by section six.

§ 9. Effective date. This local law takes effect immediately.

Session 13

LS #10046

1/22/24

 

Session 12

SRB

LS #10046

12/2/22