Lithium Battery Fire Kills 4-Downtown NYC

Another day another lithium ion E Bike battery fire and 4 fatalities. A bike shop on 80 Madison Street that had been violated since 2021 was the source of an explosive fire that killed 4 residents who lived above the shop. A violation that had been issued in August of 2022 was scheduled for re inspection-but that had not taken place. The pace of E Bike battery fires is similar to that of 2022 when 220 fires occurred. Six fatalities reported. This year 2023 there have been 108 fires as of today-6-20-23 and 13 fatalities. It will take some time before alternative batteries-cited in article- will be available. Regulation and enforcement are imperative. Unfortunately since the first Bloomberg administration effective enforcement of any aspect of Vision Zero has been essentially avoided. Transportation zealots twisted political arms by suggesting that the more bikes on the streets-the safer the streets. The way to increase ridership was to eliminate enforcement. The results were obvious. Lawless street culture. Danger for all. As many have responded "that's crazy!" Certainly NOT RATIONAL. New York City has the worst congestion in the nation. How's that for going green? Billions in lost business. Dining sheds-a Transportation Alternatives delicacy-pushing to be made permanent-reduce emergency response times. Hinder sanitation. Breed rats. Increase chaos on sidewalks. The private use of public space. Just another day in paradise. https://www.cnn.com/2023/06/20/us/nyc-ebike-store-fire-lithium-ion-batteries/index.html