This is really a stupid and anti-bicycle law, hopefully others won’t follow.
The only reason this would ever be necessary is because ebikes (and bikes) have to interact with cars in dangerous spaces. Instead of punishing people who are reducing traffic by cycling, they should be building safer spaces to do so.
No. There really are these abominations like in the picture. They are unsafe and because they have pedals, they seemingly avoid enforcement of current laws.
Amsterdam is banning fat tire ebikes (that are really just low profile electric motorcycles). If there’s 1 thing that breaks the rules, ban it. I expect the rest of the Netherlands to follow suit because everyone here is complaining about them.
Amsterdam is not doing that. Amsterdam is currently considering banning ebikes from certain parks and pedestrian areas, specifically.
No, it’s because humans are inherently selfish and stupid beings that will always endanger others to avoid inconvenience and an “ebike” like the one in the picture is just a motorcycle with a licence to ignore traffic laws.
If advocates are clever, this could be used against cars. One thing that I think prevents adoption of utility ebikes in areas they are most useful (relatively population dense areas) is that many people who might otherwise be interested in them do not have anywhere to park them.
Think of someone in an apartment or townhouse that relies on street parking. They might have a bike rack, or maybe they can carry a regular bicycle inside, but there often isnt space for something like a bakfiets that could absolutely replace a car.
If you decide to regulate them like cars, why shouldn’t people take up car parking spaces with them?
Meanwhile, like every other US state New Jersey has made absolutely zero effort to include these inevitable vehicles in any road or transportation planning whatsoever, guaranteeing that every time one is used it’s either getting in the way of a driver or bringing a motor into an otherwise non-motorized space. Thereby generating legislation that ensures the “maximum pain” period of increasing adopting with zero infrastructure support lasts as long as possible.
Yeah, that’s the main problem. They are obviously here, and people obviously want to use them, so they will. Pretending like they dont exist only makes things suck for everyone.
We need clear policy and enforcement.
Specifically, that clear policy needs to include funding and planning for micromobility infrastructure. I want to emphasize, the real important missing piece here is infrastructure.
This is something that even the bike-friendly European nations seem to be struggling with at the moment.
And shown on the picture is yet another pseudo electric motorcycle abomination of a fat bike instead of an actual average ebike to make the argument look sane.
Way to fuck it up. Well done idiots.
related ☞ Amsterdam prepares to ‘ban the fatbikes’ amid rise in serious accidents
https://www.theguardian.com/world/2026/jan/25/amsterdam-prepares-to-ban-the-fatbikes-amid-rise-in-serious-accidentsAs your link explains the proposal is just to ban them from parks and other low-speed pedestrian areas. Amsterdam hasn’t banned cars, they’re not about to ban ebikes.
