Slow down! The municipality of Amsterdam pushes for a bike speed limit

Cyclists behold: the municipality of Amsterdam is looking to impose a speed limit on bicycles. 

“Not because we think electric bikes are stupid, but they have to maintain an appropriate speed,” reports alderman Melanie van der Horst to BNR.  

Dutchies: slow down with that pedaling 

While the speed limit is not yet known, the Fietsersbond, a Dutch organisation that represents the interest of cyclists, states that “there are bicycles that drive 35 kilometres per hour in the city, and that is not safe.”

For this reason, the Fietsersbond proposes a bike speed limit of 20 kilometres per hour. 

While it is difficult to make sure people stick to this limit, there are many possibilities and techniques to consider. 

According to van der Horst one option would be geofencing, a GPS tracking device for bikes, “You can ensure that the bike reduces speed with geofencing, but that technology is still in its infancy.” 

Another option would be giving fines to people that go over the speed limit. However, this would require more people to enforce these speed limits because there are no license plates on bikes. 

READ MORE | Where to buy a bike in the Netherlands: the ultimate guide 

New infrastructures makes it safer to cycle

Apart from enforcing a new speed limit for bicycles, there is also a proposal in the Amsterdam City Council to reduce the speed for cars to 30 kilometres per hour.

This potential speed limit creates opportunities to look at the infrastructure of Amsterdam. Van der Horst reports that, “we don’t want people of a certain age to have to cycle on a street with cars.” 

The speed limit for cars of 30 kilometres per hour in Amsterdam will be approved in December 2023. 

What do you think about this new speed limit? Tell us in the comments below! 

Feature Image:Depositphotos
Francesca Burbano
Francesca Burbanohttps://burbanofrancesca.journoportfolio.com
Francesca is an international at heart but moved to the Netherlands to get her degree in media and communication. While she's not a big fan of the cold weather and biking (for good reason — she's been hit by bikes three times already), she fell in love with the canals, bitterballen, and the 'gezelligheid' of Dutch culture. When she's not writing, you'll find her reading thriller books, hitting her personal records at the gym, and cuddling up with her Ragdoll cat.

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