Cycling groups urge infrastructure upgrades as municipalities prepare speed limit trials

Following the Dutch Cabinet’s decision to allow municipalities to experiment with mandatory or recommended speed limits on cycle paths starting next year, cycling organizations and safety experts have responded with cautious optimism, emphasizing the need for stronger enforcement and infrastructure improvements, NOS reported.

Caretaker Minister Robert Tieman’s multi-year bicycle safety plan aims to reduce “mass and speed differences on cycle paths,” a major factor in the rising number of cyclist accidents. The plan also encourages shifting electric cargo bikes from bike paths to roads, to improve safety. Municipalities are expected to begin trials soon, which will determine if nationwide traffic regulations should be adapted.

Amsterdam officials and cycling advocates highlighted the challenges posed by the varying speeds of electric bikes and fatbikes. Councilor Melanie van der Horst said, "I think you shouldn’t want to implement this immediately nationwide, but really where it is unsafe and busy, like in cities." Wim Bot of the Fietsersbond added that while e-bikes are legally limited to 25 kilometers per hour, enforcement is weak, and many bikes exceed this speed.

Bot suggested to NOS that enforcement against illegally modified e-bikes should take priority over speed limits. He also proposed moving faster cyclists to roadways with a 30 km/h speed limit and creating separate lanes for fast bikes, though space constraints in Dutch cities can make this difficult. Katwijk has already introduced a dedicated lane for cyclists traveling faster than 20 km/h, shared with cars restricted to 30 km/h.

Willemijn Pomper of Safety on the Roads Netherlands (Veilig Verkeer Nederland) said speed limits alone are insufficient. "It should be a combination of things," she told NOS, calling for wider bike paths and infrastructure upgrades to accommodate the diverse range of bicycles.

The government’s plan also addresses fall risks, risky behavior like tuning e-bikes and running red lights, and aims to increase voluntary helmet use to 25 percent within ten years, up from 4 percent in 2023.