Fifty Dutch municipalities, cycling union call for action against souped up fat bikes

About 50 municipalities and several organizations have launched a petition calling on parliament to act against souped-up fat bikes. Aldermen from Amersfoort, Amsterdam, and Haarlem, doctors, and a representative from the Fietserbond, among others, will go to The Hague on Tuesday to present the petition to the Tweede Kamer Committee on Infrastructure and Water Management. They believe that souped-up fatbikes are dangerous in traffic.

The petition has also been signed by the Dutch Association of Emergency Physicians, VeiligheidNL, and Doctors for Safe Cycling. They say that they have asked outgoing Minister Mark Harbers (Infrastructure) several times in recent months for additional measures against fast fatbikes, also “because of the major risks caused by the often young drivers.”

The signatories would like to see a ban on the sale of souped-up fat bikes. They also want a study into setting an age limit for fast bicycles and a national campaign to alert parents and children to the dangers of a souped-up bicycle.

According to the petition, young children “cannot yet appreciate the dangers of driving on the street at 40 to 50 kilometers per hour, and they may have to suffer the consequences for the rest of their lives.”

“The financial consequences for their parents can also be disastrous because riders of a souped-up fatbike are riding around uninsured and are, therefore, liable for hospital costs and compensation if they hit someone,” the petition reads.

“Recent figures from VeiligheidNL show that more than half of the victims of fatbike accidents involve children between the ages of 10 and 14 and that a quarter end up in the emergency room with brain damage. These figures make it painfully clear that measures must be taken quickly to protect children and all other road users against these risks,” the authors of the petition said.