New DOT “Peace Officers” Aim to Curb Unsafe E-Bikes, Mopeds and Scooters...By 2028
The DOT has announced that this year’s city budget includes $116 million for a “Department of Sustainable Delivery,” which would deploy 45 unarmed “peace officers” by 2028. They will reportedly be trained to “issue moving violations, and enforce commercial cycling laws against businesses.”

The NYC Department of Transportation (DOT) will eventually deploy 45 bike enforcement “peace officers” as part of a “Department of Sustainable Delivery” in a bid to curb abuses by commercial e-bikes, mopeds and scooters, Mayor Eric Adams has announced.
They will reportedly be trained to “issue moving violations, and enforce commercial cycling laws against businesses,” according to the DOT, but they won’t be on the streets until 2028. They will also issue moving violations to car drivers if they illegally park in bike lanes, for example. Plans to create such a department were originally floated in 2024.
The $6.1 million allocation to create the department is included in this year’s $116 million city budget. The creation of the new sub-department may be an attempt to quell criticism of NYPD officers issuing criminal summons to individual bikers and e-bikers for certain violations, which began in April. Mayor Adams also recently asked CitiBike to lower its top speed limit to 15 m.p.h., which it ended up complying with, after deputy mayor Randy Maestro pressured Lyft into doing so.
The DOT is pointedly noting that the peace officers will be unarmed, and says that they will function similarly to Parks & Recreation or Taxi and Limousine Commission officers. They will “supplement” the NYPD, the DOT said, and some of these “peace officers” will be on e-bikes themselves.
The department’s officer will also reportedly be checking e-bike & e-scooter riders for compliance with safe battery standards, as unregulated lithium-ion batteries–or those that don’t meet a “UL-certified” standard–can create particularly dangerous and fast-spreading fires. The DOT also rolled out a battery-swap program this year, in order to minimize the threat of these deadly blazes.
Indeed, there were more than 18 deaths due to such fires in 2023, and six last year. The first death from such a fire this year occurred on the 4th of July in Queens, when a 76 year-old woman became trapped by an exploding battery fire in a pizzeria bathroom. However, despite a reduction in fatal incidents, there have already been 122 fires from faulty batteries this year overall.
“The newly created Department of Sustainable Delivery is yet another step that we’re taking to support delivery workers, keep pedestrians safe, and hold delivery app companies accountable for placing unrealistic expectations on their workers that put New Yorkers in harm’s way,” Adams said in a statement.
“This new Department of Sustainable Delivery will help us crack down on a range of illegal behavior and hold delivery apps accountable,” DOT Commissioner Ydanis Rodriguez said.
“DOT is taking a holistic approach to traffic safety through better street design, education, and now, a new dedicated enforcement team,” he added. “We continue to call on the City Council to pass comprehensive legislation to support this new department and maximize its potential to bring order to the delivery business and our streets.”
That proposed legislation, which is also being promoted by Adams, would essentially allow the city to revoke the licenses of delivery companies that continuously demand “unreasonably fast delivery times” of its contractors; studies have unsurprisingly determined that increased speed increases the likelihood of deadly accidents with pedestrians.