Scooter measures postponed

Last year, the municipality promised to deal with scooter problems, but a plan will probably not be presented until spring 2011. GroenLinks and cyclists’ organisation Fietsersbond want scooters banned from bicycle paths. Districts can do something about it right now.

On 31 July, a cyclist ended up in hospital after being cut off on a bicycle path by a scooter and falling with his head on the paving. The incident was no exception. People who ride a scooter are not only themselves frequent victims of accidents; they also cause victims among cyclists. In addition, cyclists breathe small particles spread by scooters using the bicycle path.

In response to questions from Fjodor Molenaar (GroenLinks), Alderman Hans Gerson promised last year to introduce a moped and scooter policy. In addition, he was going argue for amending national legislation so as to ban scooters from bicycle paths.

Developing a plan takes more time than anticipated. The municipality is currently conducting a number of studies. These should be finished by spring 2011, and ‘hopefully’ a proposal can be presented after that, a spokesperson said.

It is doubtful whether the municipality will indeed propose to ban scooters from bicycle paths, as the alderman has suggested. The scooters that are presently allowed to use the bicycle path are ‘snorfietsen’ with blue license plates, and those can go no faster than 25 kmph. According to the municipality, it could be dangerous to make them use the road, where cars go twice as fast. In Amsterdam, there are 21,000 snorfietsen around.

Facebook

All kinds of organisations call for a solution. A Facebook group wants scooters banned from bicycle paths. The Fietsersbond is collecting complaints and its Amsterdam branch will launch a petition in early October, in collaboration with environmental organisation Milieucentrum.

Council member Molenaar thinks it is a pity that the municipal plans have been postponed, ‘but fortunately a new policy is in the making’. Meanwhile, he is not sitting around doing nothing: he is working on a proposal of his own to ban scooters from bicycle paths. This proposal will be presented by the end of this year.

The Fietsersbond thinks that the category of scooters with blue licence plates must be abolished altogether, something the Dutch national road safety research institute SWOV has argued for as well. “But that’s something you won’t get done just like that”, Gerrit Faber of the Fietsersbond Amsterdam said. For now, the organisation is asking districts to change their bicycle paths into so-called ‘non-obligatory bicycle paths’, where snorfietsen may only ride if they turn their motor off.