New York City Mayor Bill de Blasio is calling for more regulation of electric scooters and bikes after the Monday death of actress Lisa Banes.
A scooter or motorcycle struck Banes while she was crossing a street on June 4. The “Gone Girl” actress died Monday at Mount Sinai Morningside Hospital, a police department spokesperson said.
De Blasio said during a Tuesday press briefing that New Yorkers have expressed concern that the city is “going to see more and more crowded streets, more and more crowded bike lanes, different types of vehicles going at different types of speed” and that it is “going to be difficult for pedestrians.”
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He noted in January 2020 New York state legalized the use of e-scooters and e-bikes. New York City went on to legalize the private use of e-scooters and e-bikes in June 2020 and launched an e-scooter pilot in the Bronx in April 2020 with e-scooter companies Bird, Lime and VeoRide.
The New York City mayor said the Big Apple is “in the process of continuing to work out those regulations.”
A commuter places a helmet back in the storage compartment of a Revel Transit Inc. electric ride share moped in the Williamsburg neighborhood of the Brooklyn borough of New York. (Photographer: Mark Kauzlarich/Bloomberg via Getty Images)
“It’s always going to be a combination of regulation, education, enforcement, and pushing really hard to get these pieces right to keep everyone safe,” he said. “And if for some reason we need new laws or different regulations, we got to keep doing that, but it’s a tough situation. It’s the most crowded place … certainly in the country, and we’re throwing these new elements in, and we have to be really smart about it.”
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He repeated the message that “education, enforcement, and continuing to refine the regulations” will help the issue.
A representative for Banes confirmed the actress’s death to Fox News in a Monday statement.
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“We are heartsick over Lisa’s tragic and senseless passing. She was a woman of great spirit, kindness and generosity and dedicated to her work, whether on stage or in front of a camera and even more so to her wife, family and friends. We were blessed to have had her in our lives,” Banes’ rep, David Williams, said.
Williams previously shared that Banes was hit as she was crossing Amsterdam Avenue on the way to visit the Juilliard School, her alma mater. She was taken to a local hospital where she was listed “in critical condition.”
Fox News’ Melissa Roberto contributed to this report.
