Ban bikers from using smartphones says Netherlands residents

Three quarters of people in the Netherlands are against texting and using a smartphone while cycling, according to a survey commissioned by the Ministry of Infrastructure and Environment, the Telegraaf reports.

The survey was done among a representative group of 554 people over the age of 18 years. 70 percent of respondents described using a smartphone while cycling as an "urgent problem". Of the respondents over the age of 55 years, a massive 90 percent saw it that way. While among young people, only half see it as an urgent problem.

A majority in the Tweede Kamer, the lower house of parliament, supports a ban on using a smartphone while cycling. Minister Melanie Schultz van Haegen of Infrastructure and Environment is currently working on such a ban. Though there are concerns on how to enforce it.