Cyclist association Fietsersbond sees very little merit in banning the use of smartphones while cycling. Such a ban is unenforceable and instead of creating this senseless law, the government would do better to make a mobility mode mandatory on all smartphones, Saskia Kluit, director of the Fietsersbond, said to newspaper AD.

"Each day, five to seven million Dutch take the bike on the road. Keeping an eye on all of them is impossible. Experience show that legislation is meaningless with rules that can't be enforced." Kluit said to the newspaper. "One in three car drivers still use their mobile phone while driving despite the ban on it. A survey done by us show that six out of ten young people use their mobile phone on the road. Especially for navigation. A phone ban won't stop that."

The Fietsersbond thinks that the solution lies with the smartphone manufacturers - have them install an automatic mobility mode on all smart phones. A mobility mode makes it impossible to call or text while moving, but functions like music, navigation and emergency calls are still available.