NYPD clears out dozens of 'unlawful' delivery bikes from front of Roosevelt Hotel shelter

Dozens of delivery bikes parked outside The Roosevelt Hotel have been cleared away by NYPD as part a stepped-up crackdown on unregistered and illegal mopeds and e-bikes across the city, The Post has learned.

The landmark hotel in Midtown near Grand Central Terminal, which was converted last year to a shelter for migrants, also became a high-profile hotspot for illegal bikes last fall.

In recent months, an unsightly hodgepodge of parked bikes routinely confronted pedestrians on East 46th Street along the block stretching between Madison and Vanderbilt Avenues.

The parked bikes — which by one estimate could number as many as 75 at any given time — had been mostly used for food deliveries, but they were either not registered with the city or illegally parked, according to an NYPD spokesperson.

There have been numerous operations over time to remove unlawful, unregistered, or improperly stored mopeds/bikes/etc. at this location, the NYPD Deputy Commissioner, Public Information said in a statement.

DCPI did not disclose when it removed the bikes in front of the hotel, but local businesses said it was within the past few weeks.

The iconic Roosevelt Hotel has become a symbol of the citys struggle to deal with a massive influx of migrants, many of whom are working as delivery workers. 

The city is stepping up efforts to crack down on safety issues related to motorized bikes which resulted in 97 fires last year an issue that was raised during a City Council hearing on Friday on seven proposed bills to regulate food app delivery companies.

Several of the proposed laws would make the app companies including Grubhub, Doordash and Uber Eats accountable for moped registrations and for assuming liability when their workers are involved in accidents.

Separately, NYPD is increasingly focused on how motorized bikes are being used to commit crimes.

Earlier this month, NYPD officials seized some 39 mopeds in Midtown and issued 40 summonses citing a rise in snatch-and-run crimes in which motorized scooters and mopeds were used as the getaway vehicle, The Post reported.

NYPD stats show that of the seven major crimes, scooters, motorcycles or mopeds were used as the getaway vehicle 790 times so far this year, up from just 156 over the same period in 2022. 

Local businesses near or adjacent to the Roosevelt Hotel have complained that their businesses have suffered since the property was converted into a shelter.

The Grand Central Partnership, which represents businesses in the surrounding area, had no knowledge of the NYPDs sweep of bikes at the hotel,  Fred Cerullo, president of the Business Improvement District, told The Post.

We support the mayor and NYPD in any efforts to eliminate [unregistered motorized bikes] from our streets and sidewalks, Cerulla said. It has certainly alleviated some of the chaos that had reigned upon the pedestrian experience here in Midtown East.