Authorities admit they are struggling to enforce rules on fatbikes

Authorities do not have much control when it comes to illegal fatbikes. This has come forth from conversations that the people with knowledge of the situation held with members of the Tweede Kamer, the lower house of Dutch parliament.

Customs mainly checks whether the papers of shipments of fatbikes are in order, said team leader Richard Hagendoorn. If signals come in that something is wrong then customs can take a closer look. But there have been no continuous checks on whether electric bicycles are safe. "We do not have a task for that at the moment."

The Human Environment and Transport Inspectorate (ILT) is investigating whether fatbikes are actually “unapproved mopeds” which can go faster than 25 kilometers an hour and are not allowed on the road.

It has occurred that the ILT has asked Marktplaats to take down advertisements for fatbikes that are likely illegal. The advertisements come and go too quickly on other social media sites, said ILT employee, Wouter Arts. “You can’t control this.”

Thousands of fatbikes have already been seized by the ILT, but these were often shipments of one type, Arts explained. When manufacturers bring out a new model, they can bring them back into the country. He also added that once the fatbikes are on the road, the supervision is the police’s responsibility.

Police also said that the supervision of fatbikes is complicated for them. “A cyclist going faster than 25 kilometers an hour does not make the bicycle illegal,” said police employee Arturo Castillo. "You will have to demonstrate that the pedal assistance still works above that speed." This requires a speed test of the bike.

It was reported on Thursday that a majority in the Tweede Kamer, the lower house of Dutch parliament, want the Cabinet to continue trying to implement rules that would only apply to fatbikes. This comes after the Minister of Infrastructure and Water Management, Barry Madlener, said on Wednesday that it making a legal distinction between fatbikes and other bicycles is "unachievable."