Amsterdam Mayor expects scooters ban in 2014

In early December, four big Dutch cities – Amsterdam, Rotterdam, The Hague and Utrecht – requested the government to ban scooters from bike paths and require bike riders to wear helmets. Scooter / Wikipedia Amsterdam Mayor Eberhard van der Laan is hoping that scooters will be banned this year from the city's cycle paths. He also wants the government to require riders to wear helmets for safety, Parool reports. Talking to current affairs show Buitenhof on Sunday, Van der Laan said they are very concerned about scooters on bike paths. He predicts that scooters will be removed on bike paths this year. “We will succeed in getting scooters banned from the cycle paths,” the mayor said. Currently, scooters are allowed on bike paths at 30 km per hour speed. The Foundation for Road Safety Research (SWOV) said that allowing scooters on bike paths is dangerous for cyclists. According to SWOV, there were 689 victims of scooter accidents in the four cities in 2012. Dutch Transport Minister Melanie Schultz, however, does not favor removing scooters from cycle path and shifting scooters to main road and making helmets compulsory.