these things are a real menace the way they're currently used. 37th is really bad, as are the main streets near our office in Tribeca (Church and Varick, particularly). i can't see how it's legal to drive them on the sidewalk, and i REALLY think the city should require a driver's license, if not a specialized license, to operate. they're not "bicycles," no matter what the letter of the law currently says.
From
https://www.citylandnyc.org/scooters-hoverboards-bicycles-whats-legal/ :
The State will not register all motorized vehicles, so those incapable of registration are banned from operation in the public sphere entirely. For example, the State will not register e-bikes. Some but not all Mopeds are eligible for registration as “limited use motorcycle" and may be used legally on public thoroughfares. The State describes mopeds eligible for registration as two- or three-wheeled limited use vehicles equipped with either a seat or saddle for the rider. A “limited use vehicle,” as defined by the State, is a motor vehicle that can reach a maximum speed of no greater than forty miles-per-hour. A limited use vehicle—and thus, a limited use motorcycle—may not legally be operated in public unless it has been registered with the State Department of Motor Vehicles.
The City Council banned motorized scooters in 2004. The Council declared that motorized scooters pose a risk to the health and safety of their users, passengers in nearby vehicles, and pedestrians. The Council cited a United States Consumer Product Safety Commission report that reported that thousands of instances of emergency room visits in the year 2000 were tied to motorized scooter use, and that more than a third of those injured were younger than fifteen years old. The Council further stressed that while scooters were originally produced for operation at slower speeds, today’s motorized versions operate at such a high speed that road users and pedestrians should be concerned, especially due to the lack of licensing and safety requirements imposed on the motorized scooter and their users.
The Council’s 2004 law limited the ban to motorized scooters capable of traveling faster than fifteen miles-per-hour. In 2013, the Council dropped the speed criteria from the ban so that today, all motorized scooters are banned in New York City (NYC v. Onix Guzman, ECB Appeal No. 1501125 (Dec. 17, 2015)).
https://dmv.ny.gov/registration/motorized-devices-cannot-be-registered-new-york
