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Community board discussion: presenters and neighboring boards urge NYPD to stop using criminal summonses for cyclists
Summary
Committee heard a presentation on a marked increase in criminal summonses issued to cyclists after an April 2025 NYPD enforcement change, and several community boards have called for alternatives to criminal court appearances.
A presenter for the committee described a large increase in criminal summonses for cyclists after an NYPD enforcement policy shift that began in April 2025, and members discussed community board resolutions calling on the department to return to civil enforcement or pursue education and targeted alternatives.
Ben Lisonbee briefed the committee on data he said show a sharp rise in criminal summonses in 2025 compared with prior periods. "As of April 2025, the New York City Police Department started issuing criminal summonses, not traffic tickets, for minor interactions by cyclists," Lisonbee said. He told the committee that some reports showed the number of criminal summonses for cycling‑related offenses rose from roughly 560 in an earlier period to about 6,000 in a recent quarter.
Why it matters
Unlike civil traffic tickets, criminal summonses require in‑person appearances in criminal court, can result in bench warrants for failure to appear and — for noncitizens — can carry immigration consequences, presenters and board members said. Presenters also highlighted that city data show motor vehicles cause the overwhelming majority of pedestrian fatalities while bicycles and e‑bikes account for a very small share of injuries or fatalities.
Resolutions elsewhere and suggested alternatives
Lisonbee noted Community Boards 3, 4, 6 and 7 had each passed resolutions asking the NYPD to stop the practice and to pursue noncriminal alternatives. Those boards urged education, civil penalties and targeted enforcement rather than arrestable criminal summonses. Committee members raised parallel concerns that enforcement must be proportional to crash risk and not concentrate criminal consequences on delivery workers or other vulnerable groups.
Questions and next steps
Board members asked whether the new enforcement stems from a change in law or from an NYPD change in policy; presenters said the shift was an NYPD policy change rather than legislation. Committee members also flagged court backlog and translation barriers for people required to appear, and some members suggested the borough board or a coalition of community boards could issue a joint letter requesting the NYPD end criminal summonses for minor cycling infractions and pursue alternatives.
No formal vote was taken by the committee. Committee members asked presenters to share source data and community board resolutions for follow‑up and suggested drafting a text for committee review that could be used as a letter to NYPD and city elected officials.
