Moped sales increasing fast
Sales of scooters and powered bicycles from January through April rose by nearly 14 percent compared to the same period a year ago. Dealers have sold nearly 13,000 mopeds so far this year.
In an interview with broadcaster Nos, industry expert Tom Huyskens said that people in Dutch urban areas are often looking for different transportation options. “The scooter is cheaper than the car, you do not pay road tax, and you can park it for free anywhere.” Huyskens handles PR for Bovag, a trade group and lobbyist for motor vehicle-related businesses. He says that the increase in sales in not just from the usual target group of younger people. Dealers are selling more frequently to people in their thirties and forties. He says challenges in the market could be a proposed helmet requirement in the four major cities, similar to what is required for motorcyclists, and legislation meant to combat the performance tuning of scooters that allows them to go faster than their 25 km/h limit. The spokesman also told Nos that the group is concerned about increases in traffic accidents between motorized vehicles and bicycles on bike paths. On their Twitter feed, the group has pushed for cities to make investments in infrastructure to reduce crowded traffic on the paths.
