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Scooters and Mopeds,
danger on Dutch bike-paths |
There are more bicycles than residents in The Netherlands, and in all
the big Dutch cities up to 70% of all journeys are made by bike.
To make cycling safer and even more inviting the Dutch have also built a vast network of cycle paths.
These
are clearly marked, have smooth surfaces, separate signs and lights for
those on two wheels, and wide enough to allow side-by-side cycling and
overtaking.
In many cities the paths are completely segregated from motorised
traffic. Sometimes, where space is scant and both must share, you can
see signs showing an image of a cyclist with a car behind accompanied by
the words 'Bike Street: Cars are guests'.
But there is a major danger now lurking on these beautiful bike
paths, Molpeds and scooters,the Dutch call them "snor fietsers", and
these also include, what one biker called the "silent killers", electric
scooters, who are also racing silently over these serene bike-paths, at
high speeds.
Very often Scooters and Mopeds go at speeds of 50 km per hour or even more, specially when the engine is "souped up".
Also
Pizza delivering persons on scooters have a reputation of always going
too fast. To make matters worse, because these scooters are on the
bike-path, they also don't have to wear a helmet.
In
December 2017 a majority of the Dutch parliament approved a city of
Amsterdam request to move mopeds and scooters from their municipality
bike-paths to the open roads and highways.
Unfortunately
not many, if not any, of the cities in the Netherlands, have taken any
similar action as Amsterdam so far. It is also well known in the
Netherlands, that local police is not very agressive, when it comes to
writing out "tickets" against moped and scooter riders, who are going
too fast on the bike-paths.
As one bike-rider in the city of Almere noted: how many more bikers
will need to get serious accidents, before our Municipality takes any
action?
EU-Digest
