The Dutch cycle path is changing quickly. The rise of the e-bike and its obese cousin the fat bike has made it noticeably more crowded, more confusing and more dangerous. The electric bicycle, often with thick tires and often tuned up, has taken the place of the scooter, which is no longer allowed on the cycle path everywhere and for which helmets are mandatory. The mutual speed differences are increasing.
With consequences. The number of road deaths has risen again in recent years after decades of decline and last year even reached the highest number since 2008. The number of fatal traffic victims rose sharply, particularly among cyclists aged 75 and older, figures from Statistics Netherlands showed. Surveys among city residents, such as recently in Amsterdam, show that 70 percent of residents are concerned about road safety, partly due to electric bicycles.
Cycle paths must remain cycleable. Cycling is a Dutch cultural asset and is also an important key to the necessary sustainable transition. Green, car-free streets are emerging in many Dutch cities, with beneficial effects on residents and biodiversity, but this development can only continue if there are sufficient alternatives to the car, including the bicycle. A lack of cycling options also hinders clean transport outside the Randstad. E-bikes can increase the range of commuters and help (partly) solve the 'transport poverty' that is a problem in more and more places.
That is why fat bike nuisance must be tackled in a more coherent and integrated manner than is currently the case. There are experiments here and there that can make a difference, but the approach is still very fragmented. The first priority should be to better enforce the legal speed limit for assistance. That is 25 kilometers per hour, but many e-bikes and especially many fat bikes have been accelerated to up to 50 kilometers per hour.
In some municipalities, the police have had a new tool since the beginning of this year: a special 'dynamometer' to check the maximum speed of e-bikes. In six European cities, including Amsterdam, municipalities are testing a system that can remotely limit the speed of electric bicycles. This is still in its infancy, but it may provide a solution in the long term.
Spatial design also plays a role: there is less danger on wider cycle paths, and in various cities there are also experiments with 'red streets' where cars are guests and therefore more space for bicycles and e-bikes. This is not possible everywhere, but it is worth considering in more places.
More can also be expected from sellers. Four major Dutch fat bike manufacturers announced on Tuesday that they will do more to prevent the ramp-up, for example by boycotting dealers who continue to offer it. A start, but the attitude of manufacturers must be more proactive and not just to 'fat bike shaming' to prevent.
And what about national politics? Outgoing Minister Mark Harbers (Infrastructure, VVD) previously called measures such as a driver's license, license plate and age limit “complicated”. He places the responsibility for whether or not children to cycle on e-bikes mainly on parents. Right in itself, but not only children ride on them and given the growing problems it is questionable whether the appeal to personal responsibility is sufficient. Keeping Dutch cycle paths cycleable is a collective task.
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