 |
| Scooters and Mopeds, danger on Dutch bike-paths |
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
