Measures against souped-up fat bikes
Supercharged electric bicycles such as fat bikes are causing more and more problems in Amsterdam traffic. The city works on limiting the nuisance on the cycle paths by giving information, police checks, and by sending a letter to the minister.
Fast e-bikes are on the rise in Amsterdam. Research shows that Amsterdam cyclists feel less safe on the bicycle paths due to overcrowding and speed differences. The number of bicycle crashes is also on the rise in recent years. The popularity of fat bikes in Amsterdam does not help. These electric bicycles with fat tires are often souped up and can easily reach speeds well above 25 km/h. Many fat bike riders are children and teenagers. They drive at high speeds without a helmet, while (also) lacking the traffic insight of an adult. In addition, the brakes on these bicycles are not made for such high speeds. All these elements together entail great risks of serious crashes and damage.
More education
Supercharged e-bikes with assistance above 25 km/h are illegal on public roads. If riders are involved in an accident, they are not insured. For riders under the age of 18, the costs of any damage incurred will be the responsibility of parents.Many fat bike riders and their parents are not aware of the rules and risks. That is why Amsterdam has started an information campaign. Parents are informed about the risks through the schools of their children, and the topic speeding e-bikes is included in traffic education for youngsters.
More checks by the police
The police are checking increasingly on souped-up and illegal e-bikes and fat bikes. From the beginning of 2024, they have a special roller bench that will make it much easier to check whether electric bicycles have been souped-up. If so, fines are issued and the police confiscate the e-bike in case of serious violations.
Letter to minister
Amsterdam isn’t the only Dutch municipality struggling with this problem. The city and 43 other municipalities have sent a letter to the Minister of Infrastructure and Water Management. In it, the municipalities ask for measures at short term, such as a national ban on the sale of soup-up sets and of a legal minimum age for riding an e-bikes.
