Cabinet allows municipalities to experiment with speed limits for bicycles

The Cabinet will allow municipalities to experiment with mandatory or recommended speed limits on cycle paths starting next year. They can also investigate whether moving electric cargo bikes used for goods transport, for example, from the cycle path to the road would improve road safety.

This is stated in a new multi-year plan for bicycle safety that caretaker Minister Robert Tieman (Infrastructure, BBB) submitted to parliament. These measures could potentially help reduce “the mass and speed differences on cycle paths,” which are a major cause of the large number of bicycle accidents.

Specific legislation on this matter is not yet in the works, but municipalities can already start experimenting. Tieman believes they will begin tests soon. Based on the results, the necessity or benefit of adapting traffic regulations everywhere will be assessed.

The number of accidents involving cyclists is projected to increase significantly by 2040 if current cycling policies remain unchanged. Cyclists account for 39 percent of all traffic fatalities and 70 percent of seriously injured traffic accident victims. Two-thirds of the latter group are over 60 years old.

Because cycling is a sustainable mode of transport and also important for society, the government is focusing on cycling safety. Five new initiatives have been developed for this purpose, with 49 million euros allocated. In addition to reducing speed differences, the risk of falls must also be reduced through training. Risky behavior, such as using tuned electric bicycles and running red lights, must also be reduced.

Furthermore, the goal is for a quarter of cyclists to voluntarily wear a bicycle helmet within ten years. In 2023, that figure was only 4 percent.