Why a proposed bill that would require e-bikes, e-scooters, and other motorized mobility devices would be difficult, expensive to enforce, and ineffective.

In an op-ed in Streetsblog NYC, Shabazz Stuart argues that a proposed e-bike registration bill would be ineffective.
Stuart writes, “I’ve spent most of my career managing public space at the city’s third-largest Business Improvement District and championing the creation of a regional secure bike parking and charging network with my company, Oonee. As such, I can promise that if this bill becomes law, not only will it fail to achieve its own stated goals, it will stand alone as one of the most regressive urban transportation policies of the 21st century.”
Stuart notes that bike advocates have for decades been calling for more protected bike lanes and other infrastructure that makes it safe for people to ride e-bikes on city streets and not on sidewalks. Requiring all powered bikes, scooters, and other devices including motorized wheelchairs to be registered would be “expensive, difficult to enforce, prejudicial and practically useless.”
Other cities that have attempted bike registration programs have ended them, Stuart points out. “Registration mandates are notoriously difficult to enforce at almost every level of government. The federal government intended Real IDs to be the FAA standard in 2008, but the program suffered from low compliance, even with the full muscle of state DMVs and the specter of not being able to fly. Today, only 56 percent of Americans have converted, 19 years after the original goal of 100 percent.”
FULL STORY: Op-Ed: Council E-Bike Registration Bill Is Impossible to Enforce, Unnecessary … and Won’t Even Work

Manufactured Crisis: Losing the Nation’s Largest Source of Unsubsidized Affordable Housing
Manufactured housing communities have long been an affordable housing option for millions of people living in the U.S., but that affordability is disappearing rapidly. How did we get here?

Americans May Be Stuck — But Why?
Americans are moving a lot less than they once did, and that is a problem. While Yoni Applebaum, in his highly-publicized article Stuck, gets the reasons badly wrong, it's still important to ask: why are we moving so much less than before?

Using Old Oil and Gas Wells for Green Energy Storage
Penn State researchers have found that repurposing abandoned oil and gas wells for geothermal-assisted compressed-air energy storage can boost efficiency, reduce environmental risks, and support clean energy and job transitions.

Updating LA’s Tree Rules Could Bring More Shade to Underserved Neighborhoods
A new USC study finds that relaxing Los Angeles’ outdated tree planting guidelines could significantly expand urban tree canopy and reduce shade disparities in lower-income neighborhoods, though infrastructure investments are also needed.

California's Canal Solar Projects Aim to Conserve Resources and Expand Clean Energy
California’s Project Nexus has begun generating electricity from solar panels installed over irrigation canals, with researchers and state agencies exploring statewide expansion to conserve water and boost clean energy production.

HHS Staff Cuts Gut Energy Assistance Program
The full staff of a federal program that distributes heating and cooling assistance for low-income families was laid off, jeopardizing the program’s operations.
Urban Design for Planners 1: Software Tools
This six-course series explores essential urban design concepts using open source software and equips planners with the tools they need to participate fully in the urban design process.
Planning for Universal Design
Learn the tools for implementing Universal Design in planning regulations.
Heyer Gruel & Associates PA
City of Moreno Valley
Institute for Housing and Urban Development Studies (IHS)
City of Grandview
Harvard GSD Executive Education
Salt Lake City
NYU Wagner Graduate School of Public Service
City of Cambridge, Maryland