Dozens of municipalities plead for stricter rules against enhanced e-bikes, fatbikes

Municipalities want the Dutch government to implement stricter rules for too-fast e-bikes, especially the fatbike variant. In a letter to outgoing Minister Mark Habers of Infrastructure and Water Management, the mobility aldermen for 43 municipalities pleaded for quick action, saying that road safety can’t wait any longer, NOS reports.

“The drivers of the upgraded e-bikes, not only young people, but also parents on e-cargo bikes, young adults, and the elderly on their fast e-bikes, are a danger on the bike paths,” the municipalities wrote. It is important that everyone can participate safely in traffic, and the different speeds on the bike paths make that increasingly difficult.

Fatbikes, small electric bicycles with thick tires, are increasingly popular in the Netherlands. Young people, in particular, have switched to fatbikes after the government implemented mandatory helmets on scooters and mopeds. These fatbikes constitute a significant concern for municipalities and cycling associations because they can easily be enhanced to go faster with a “throttle lever.”

In the letter, Amsterdam traffic alderman Melanie van der Horst spoke about a recent police check on fatbikes in the city. A third of the checked bikes had an illegal throttle. One could reach 60 kilometers per hour. “Really madness,” Van der Horst said.

The municipalities urged the government to put an age limit on fatbikes and ban using enhancement kits on e-bikes. The use of a souped-up bicycle is banned, but the act of enhancing it is not illegal. According to the aldermen, performance-enhancing kits are sold en masse in stores and online.