The Hague (AFP) — The bicycle-loving Netherlands was on Thursday mulling tougher rules on fat bikes and e-scooters, after a surge in accidents that has alarmed lawmakers and officials in cities across the country.

The meeting between lawmakers comes after five of the largest Dutch cities, including Amsterdam and Utrecht, urged the government to let them ban the electric bicycles, named after their oversized tyres, along with e-scooters and other motor-powered vehicles, from cycle lanes.

According to the Dutch government, the number of emergency room victims in the 12 to 18 year-old age group, on fat bikes, had increased from zero in 2020 to 301 in 2024.

“Cycle lanes should be a safe place for all cyclists, not just the biggest, strongest and fastest,” the cities’ transport chiefs said i

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