Treyger says bike-text ban aimed at safety, not raising money
Councilmember Mark Treyger, who introduced legislation that would prohibit bicycle riders from talking on cell phones or texting while riding, said his action isn’t aimed at generating revenue for the city through fines, but instead is aimed at promoting safety on city streets.
Treyger, who held a press conference outside City Hall on Nov. 13 to announce two bills he was introducing, said first time offenders would have the opportunity to take a bicycle safety course in lieu of paying a fine.
“I want to be clear that the only intention is safety, which is why I am also proposing the creation of bicycle safety courses instead of fines for some first offenses,” Treyger said.
Treyger (D-Coney Island-Gravesend-Bensonhurst) introduced two bike safety bills on Thursday. The first bill prohibits the use of any handheld devices including cell phones, tablets or other electronics to make calls, send texts or to search the Internet. Fines for first offenses would start at $50. The second bill would create a bike safety course and allow cyclists to have the option of taking the course instead of paying the fine. The course would only be available in cases where there were no injuries or property damage.