Cities can ban scooters from bike paths: Minister

Scooters can now be taken off the bicycle paths in municipalities, and scooter owners may be obligated to wear helmets. This comes from a letter by minister Melanie Schultz van Haegen of Infrastructure and Environment, who writes Parliament that the rules are being amended to make room for "local customs." The minister believes that municipalities should be able to decide to make wearing a helmet obligatory for scooter riders in some areas. She does not see the future in a national helmet law. In Amsterdam, there is a request to allow scooter riders to be banned from bicycle paths. They are causing obstructions and dangerous situations. Until 2020, the city wants to incest €200 million in bicycle and traffic safety in the center, but the scooter problem will remain unless something specific is done. "The number of scooter riders has grown with 275 percent in the last few years, from 8,000 to 30,000", the minister writes. She says that almost 10 percent of peak hour traffic is on scooters. The scooter is faster and broader than a bicycle, however, and also pollute. With this amendment, then, Schultz wants to introduce the possibility of sending scooters to the main road. The drivers will then have to wear helmets to increase their safety among the cars. This plan is being thought over in Amsterdam. In The Hague and Rotterdam, however, there is not yet any indication of a plan to move scooters from bike paths to the roads.