Latest news with #ebikes
Daily Mail
3 days ago
- General
- Daily Mail
Phone snatchers' e-scooters to be CRUSHED within hours of seizure amid police crackdown on London's mobile theft epidemic
E-scooters and e-bikes driven by brazen phone snatchers are to be destroyed by police within hours of being seized amid a crackdown on London 's mobile theft epidemic. Previously officers had to warn offenders before taking away and crushing a bike, scooter or any other vehicle driven in an anti-social manner or if it was used to facilitate a theft. But now, new powers will mean police won't have to wait two weeks before throwing them away and will be able to do so in a two-day time frame. Ministers argued that the current two-week deadline made it less challenging for offenders to re-obtain their vehicles, meaning little discouragement against repeat offending. And while e-bikes and scooters have increasingly annoyed pedestrians, they too are being more frequently used to snatch mobile phones out of the hands of unassuming walkers. According to Metropolitan Police figures, 66,528 phones were stolen in the capital in the year leading up to September 2024, Over the same period in Westminster, 22,253 thefts were reported equating to 85.4 incidents per every 1,000 people. Dame Diana Johnson, the policing minister, told the Telegraph: 'Anti-social and reckless driving brings misery to communities across the country, from dangerous street racing to off-road bikes tearing through local parks. 'By enabling police to seize and dispose of these vehicles within just 48 hours, we're giving our officers the tools they need to deliver immediate results and providing communities the swift justice they deserve. 'As part of our Plan for Change, these new powers send a clear message that anti-social behaviour, whatever form it takes, will not be tolerated in our local communities.' The Government are also looking to hike up fines for seizing, towing and crushing vehicles, as a previous consultation found fees were last increased nearly two decades ago in 2008. It comes as Scotland Yard has decided to fight back against London's mobile theft epidemic by using invisible DNA. Officers hope that marking e-bikes, an increasingly popular mode of getaway for marauding robbers, will allow them to track, catch and prosecute suspects. They are also spraying riders' clothes and skin with the invisible dye, which contains a unique DNA code only seen under UV light. The substance, known as SelectaDNA, sticks on a target for several months allowing police to link them to a specific theft via the special code. The innovative method is being introduced in various hotspots around the country including London, Cambridgeshire, Hertfordshire and Scotland. Inspector Dan Jones, who leads the Watford neighbourhood policing team in Hertfordshire, said: 'It's another tool in our box of tactics to make it increasingly difficult for criminals to operate. 'The spray will enable us to identify those responsible without the need to engage in risky high-speed pursuits. 'We want this to serve as a warning to those involved – expect a knock on the door, because we will catch up with you.' The spray is also being trialled in Dumfries and Galloway in Scotland and Sergeant Callum Dalgleish-Little said: 'We know that antisocial behaviour particularly in residential areas, public parks, and cycle paths, is concerning for local communities. 'This spray will help officers have another tool at their disposal to detect and deter such criminality. 'The spray is deployed by trained officers and can be used on bikes we believe to be stolen or ridden illegally.' It comes as London has been hit with a phone snatching epidemic, with the issue reaching crisis point as victims as young as four being targeted. Discussing the problem, Paul, who works by the London Eye, previously told MailOnline: 'I see it all the time. I would say every day. It's worst around this touristy part of London - particularly along Westminster Bridge. 'It happens to tourists a lot because they're unaware. I try to warn them but it doesn't always work. 'One time, a family asked someone to take a photo of them in front of the London Eye. And the guy they chose ran off with their phone. 'Usually though, they come past on their bikes and snatch the phone before anyone has a chance to react. It's a real issue.' The 51-year-old said he sees the same culprits at work repeatedly, adding: 'There are groups of them who are here all the time,' Paul said. 'The police know about them. 'I've had them trying to steal my phone too. Even though they know that I know who they are. It's bold.' Ovye, who works for a bus tour company, said the thieves target 'anyone' - and that even children aren't off limits. He said: 'It can happen to anyone. I once saw someone snatch a phone out of a little girl's hand while she was taking a picture. She can't have been more than four years old. Unbelievable.' Met Police commander, Owain Richards, told MailOnline: 'We understand the impact that mobile phone theft can have on victims – it's an invasive and sometimes violent crime - and we're committed to protecting Londoners and tackling this issue as we make the capital safer. 'Met officers are targeting resources to hotspot areas, such as Westminster, Lambeth and Newham, with increased patrols and plain clothes officers which deter criminals and make officers more visibly available to members of the community. 'We continue to use data and technology to build intelligence and track stolen items to target offenders. We are also working with phone firms to 'design out' the ability for phones to be reused and sold on as we seek to dismantle the criminal market that fuels robbery and theft. 'We encourage people to report as soon as they can whenever they have been a victim of mobile phone theft, so officers can investigate swiftly.'
CBS News
3 days ago
- Health
- CBS News
Video shows close call between e-bike and car in Massachusetts
E-bike sales are on the rise across Massachusetts, but so are accidents involving the electric two-wheelers, prompting concern from law enforcement and fellow riders. As more cyclists take to the roads, some say they are doing their best to stay safe. Haruki Takano said he tries to stick to bike lanes and obey traffic laws, but it is the cars he is worried about. "People in Boston, or people in America in general, I feel like they're rougher if they're driving. They're more aggressive," said Takano. "So, for example, I'll be careful not to get into anyone's blind spots or make turns too quickly." Close call in Medway Law enforcement officials are echoing the concerns. In Medway, police recently released video footage showing a near-collision when an e-bike rider sped through a red light. Police released video of a close call between an e-bike and a car in Medway, Massachusetts. Police said the e-bike rider went through a red light. Medway Police Department E-bike rider Lee Steinmetz said scenes like that are all far too familiar. "I feel like as a bicyclist who's trying to be taken seriously, that we've got to follow the rules, stop at the red lights," Steinmetz said. "I've seen a lot of people ride on the wrong side of the street, which is not good." Same rules of the road for bikes Lt. Jeffrey Watson of the Medway Police Department said e-bikes are subject to the same rules of the road as traditional bicycles under Massachusetts law. "A bicycle in Massachusetts has to follow all the rules of the road," Watson said. He added that e-bikes must be equipped with front-facing lights, are not permitted on sidewalks, and should stay as far to the right side of the road as possible. Watson said his department is receiving more complaints as the number of e-bikes grows. "We get a lot of calls on exactly that," he said. "'Oh, this young kid just weaved out into the road, they cut in front of me.'" Despite the growing tensions, some riders believe a solution is possible. "We all have to learn to co-exist together, cars, bikes, pedestrians," rider Noreen Steinmetz said. "I know we can do it. It's just not that hard."
New York Times
24-05-2025
- New York Times
New York's Crackdown on E-bikes Is Unfair Enforcement, Critics Say
On Wednesday morning, Ivan Boston's day began at the Department of Motor Vehicles office in Downtown Brooklyn. Last month, police officers had stopped him for running a red light on his electric bicycle, and Mr. Boston, a construction worker, assumed that the D.M.V. was where traffic tickets were paid. But the pink slip of paper in his hand was no traffic ticket. It was a criminal summons. In bold, black letters it read, 'To avoid a warrant for your arrest, you must go to court.' When Mr. Boston noticed, a task he had considered a minor annoyance instead turned into a half-day ordeal. He hurried to court at the David N. Dinkins Manhattan Municipal Building, across from City Hall. 'This is ridiculous,' said Mr. Boston, 56, whose unplanned day off cost him $200. 'But I don't want to get a warrant.' Lawyers who spend much of their careers fighting summonses in criminal court find the situation just as baffling. 'These are just not charges that lawyers and judges inside the summons part of the court are used to seeing,' said Gideon Oliver, a lawyer who regularly practices in summons court. New York City has begun a crackdown on e-bikes and scooters riders. It follows actions by city officials from Paris to Honolulu to Hoboken, N.J., who are responding to residents angry about zippy vehicles with silent electric motors zooming down sidewalks and streets, often startling people, and occasionally hitting pedestrians. For years, some New Yorkers have complained about such behavior, which 'gives people the impression of chaos and disorder,' Jessica Tisch, the city's police commissioner, said at an April news conference at which she announced the enforcement action. 'It erodes our sense of public safety, and New Yorkers have had enough.' That day, officers began staking out intersections across the city around the clock, watching for riders who ignored red lights and stop signs, rode against traffic or on sidewalks, rode under the influence of drugs and alcohol, or were reckless in other ways. There is an irony embedded in the enforcement push. Cyclists who blow through red lights without endangering anyone else can now be forced to appear in court. Drivers who commit the same violation cannot. Instead, drivers face the same traffic ticket they always have, a moving violation with a fine payable by mail. 'It's a really bad escalation, targeting some of the less dangerous vehicles on the city's streets,' said Eric McClure, executive director of StreetsPAC, which lobbies to expand street infrastructure for vehicles other than cars. This week, a month after the crackdown began, the first cyclists to be swept up in it appeared in court. 'You must abide by traffic rules, OK?' Judge Michelle Weber of Manhattan Criminal Court said on Monday to a food delivery worker who had admitted running a red light. The enforcement campaign comes as the vehicles Americans choose to use increasingly reflect a new kind of culture war. For years, advocacy groups, including Transportation Alternatives, notched a series of policy wins that gradually empowered cyclists in New York, including a ban on cars in Central Park and the construction of hundreds of miles of bike lanes. In recent years, political conservatives, suburban residents and drivers have fought back. Sean Duffy, the new U.S. transportation secretary, has described a new bike lane on the Queensboro Bridge as 'war on the working class.' 'I do think it's a problem when we're making massive investment in bike lanes at the expense of vehicles,' Mr. Duffy said at the 2025 World Economy Summit, as the website Streetsblog reported. Each side preaches safety. The risks of scooters and e-bikes gained prominence in 2021, when Lisa Banes, an actor, was struck and killed on the Upper West Side by a scooter rider who fled the scene. More crashes ensued. Sanja Pohl and her husband, Scott, were walking on 34th Street near Macy's last June when a man on a scooter lost control of the vehicle and crashed into them. Ms. Pohl's nose was broken, and she said she now gets debilitating migraines. Her husband was unconscious for five days and had no memory when he came to, she said. He was unable to return to his job at the United Nations for six months, and nearly a year later, he is only able to work part time. Ms. Pohl, 44, dreads leaving her apartment because of all the electric vehicles on the streets. 'I've never experienced fear like this,' she said. The relatively recent arrival of scooters and e-bikes has captured most of the attention, but cars are still responsible for most mayhem on the city's streets. Of the 121 pedestrians killed in traffic last year, 120 were struck by a car while one person died after being hit by an electric bike, according to city transportation department data compiled by Transportation Alternatives. 'Overwhelmingly, the people killed on the street are mowed down by drivers,' said Danny Pearlstein, a spokesman for Riders Alliance, which advocates for better mass transit. 'If that's not our priority, then we have our priorities wrong.' People who want fewer cars on city's streets worry that the crackdown on cyclists may convince some New Yorkers who are considering riding more often to continue driving cars instead. 'It creates a real dampening effect on the uptake of biking, which we know really can improve safety,' Ben Furnas, the executive director of Transportation Alternatives, said. Many e-bike riders and their advocates said they were caught by surprise by the increase in enforcement. The confusion continued on New York's streets and in its courtrooms this week, as officers, e-bike riders and lawyers all tried to understand just what the new rules require. 'It's still a traffic violation, which is not conduct the Legislature has defined as a crime,' said Steve Vaccaro, a New York lawyer who has primarily represented cyclists since 2006. 'But it's going to criminal court. So we don't know exactly what happens.' Anger Everywhere On Saturday, April 10, David Rodriguez went to see a boxing match in Brooklyn's Sheepshead Bay section. Afterward, Mr. Rodriguez rode his pedal bike home. Ignoring a red light at one point, he soon heard a police car's siren. Weeks later, he was still angry about it. 'They were real aggressive, as if I had committed an actual crime,' Mr. Rodriguez, a 34-year-old construction worker said. 'I didn't know they could pull you over for riding a bike. I wasn't even in a car.' Janet Schroeder, a founder of the NYC E-Vehicle Safety Alliance, is one of the city's loudest voices calling for stronger safety rules for electric bikes and scooters. But the new policy of imposing harsher penalties on e-bikes than on cars goes against her organization's mission of treating all vehicles equally, she said. 'If it's not the same as what they do for cars, it's ridiculous,' she said. There have long been different standards under the law for different types of vehicles, which sometimes calls for varying approaches to enforcement, a police spokesperson said. Cars must have license plates, and drivers must carry drivers' licenses and insurance. Most scooters and e-bikes do not have similar requirements. 'Since e-bikes do not require a license, drivers of e-bikes can simply ignore their traffic summons with no repercussions whatsoever, making any enforcement futile,' the police spokesperson said. However, the new requirement that cyclists appear in court, or face an arrest warrant if they fail to, creates 'a strong incentive to show up in court.' Some advocates for delivery workers say that the increased scrutiny of cyclists weighs especially heavily on an already vulnerable group. Many people who ride electric bikes in New York are undocumented migrants working for restaurants and food delivery apps, said Ligia Guallpa, the executive director of Los Deliveristas Unidos, which represents delivery workers. The crackdown on electric bikes and scooters comes in the midst of the Trump administration's aggressive enforcement of immigration law. 'This is a direct attack on immigrant workers,' Ms. Guallpa said. 'The intent is to criminalize workers and to create a situation where our communities could be targets for deportation.' The police deny this. People who receive summonses will not be fingerprinted, so their identities will not be logged into a national criminal database, and federal immigration agents are barred from arresting people on state courthouse property. The police spokesperson said the department did not ask about a person's immigration status or cooperate with Immigration and Customs Enforcement on civil immigration matters. Speedy Trials Sal Cohen is among the immigrants who received a pink court summons connected to the increased enforcement effort. Originally from Turkey, and in the United States on a conditional green card, Mr. Cohen had not heard about the push when he rolled through a red light at the intersection of Grand Street and Union Avenue in Brooklyn's Williamsburg neighborhood on his way home from the gym this month. A squad car pulled up alongside him and he was issued a summons. A week and a half later, Mr. Cohen, 28, stood in line outside Courtroom No. 3, on the 16th floor of the municipal building, worried that ICE agents might appear. 'I'm here legally, but you never know,' he said. 'I'm nervous.' A court officer called his case. Mr. Cohen walked to the rail, and spoke into a skinny microphone. Judge Paul Grosvenor asked if he would accept an adjournment in contemplation of dismissal, which would wipe the offense off his record if had no interactions with the police for a set period of time, in his case, the next 30 days. 'Yes, your honor,' Mr. Cohen said. 'The application is granted,' Judge Grosvenor said. 'Dismissed.' Mr. Boston's case was called next. The judge, facing him, held up the summons and squinted. The officer responsible for the stop had provided scant details about the interaction, and had simply noted the offenses he claimed Mr. Boston had committed: reckless driving and disobeying a red light. The judge frowned. 'I'm going to dismiss as legally insufficient,' he said. After two subway rides and three and a half hours of waiting, Mr. Boston's court appearance had lasted 46 seconds. As he left, a few minutes after noon, he felt just as confused as he had when he arrived. 'It's a moving violation, which should go to the D.M.V.,' he said. 'Why am I even in this court?'
Irish Times
23-05-2025
- Business
- Irish Times
Revenue seizes thousands of e-bikes and e-scooters worth estimated €4.5m
Thousands of e-bikes and a small number of e-scooters have been seized in Wexford with an estimated value of €4.5 million. As part of an operation targeting the illegal importation of e-bikes, Revenue officers executed search warrants at two warehouses in the county in recent days. During these searches, 4,000 e-bikes and a small number of e-scooters were discovered, alongside ancillary items and spare parts. It is believed the bikes and scooters are part of an international smuggling operation being conducted across the EU . READ MORE The vehicles, which are believed to have been destined for sale on both the national and wider EU market, are estimated to have a retail value of €4.5 million, according to Revenue. A Revenue spokesperson said a number of individuals are assisting with inquiries. [ Michael Gaine homicide case: The full story so far Opens in new window ] [ What does Trump's 50% EU tariff threat mean for Ireland? Opens in new window ] The operation was conducted with the EU's anti-fraud agency 'to protect the EU's financial interests against what is believed to be part of an international smuggling operation being conducted across the EU'. The spokesperson added: 'These seizures are part of Revenue's ongoing campaign targeting the illegal importation of products into the State and the wider European Union. If businesses, or members of the public, have any information regarding smuggling, they can contact Revenue in confidence on 1800 295 295.'
Yahoo
22-05-2025
- Automotive
- Yahoo
$1,000 e-bikes being raffled to help some West Palm Beach residents with transportation
West Palm Beach residents north of downtown can enter a raffle starting the evening of May 23 to win e-bikes worth $900 to $1,100. Local nonprofit WPBgo will host raffles over the next 12 months, giving dozens of people from these neighborhoods $1,000 vouchers each to buy e-bikes from a local bicycle shop. The first raffle takes place at the West Palm Beach Police Department's Operation Pray Until Something Happens block party at 8 p.m. on Tamarind Avenue, between 18th and State streets. Residents of the Coleman Park, Pleasant City and Historic Northwest neighborhoods — north of downtown, mostly between Tamarind Avenue and U.S. 1 — are eligible to enter WPBgo's contest. Applicants can either fill out an online form at at the time of the party, or fill out a paper form there. Winners at the May 23 raffle and WPBgo contests held throughout the year can buy their prizes at West Palm Bikes bicycle shop at the shopping plaza at 400 Village Blvd., northwest of Palm Beach Lakes Boulevard. The three e-bikes raffle entrants can win are the $900 Hiboy EX6 ST, the $1,000 Lectric XP 3.0 and the $1,100 Hiboy P6. They can be ridden 20 to 60 miles on a single charge, the manufacturers say. WPBgo's goal is to reduce congestion and make it more affordable for residents north of downtown to commute, director Jonathan Hopkins said. An estimated 13% to 21% of residents in the target neighborhoods have no vehicles at home, the U.S. Census Bureau's 2019-2023 American Community Survey data says. The Knight Foundation is funding the WPBgo e-bike raffles. Hopkins hopes to bring the program to downtown residents in the future, based on the success of this initiative. "People in Wellington are not going to replace their cars with an e-bike," Hopkins said, which is why WPBgo is targeting residents north of downtown. WPBgo's ultimate goal is to reduce downtown traffic, working mainly with other nonprofits and government agencies to make that happen. In September, WPBgo started paying for commutes of some people who work downtown by buying them $20,000 worth of bus passes on Palm Beach County's public bus system, Palm Tran, using a grant from the Florida Department of Transportation. WPBgo will release results from that program this year, it has said. Chris Persaud covers transportation in Palm Beach County for The Palm Beach Post. Email news tips and ideas to cpersaud@ This article originally appeared on Palm Beach Post: $1,000 e-bikes being raffled in this part of West Palm Beach on Friday
