Amsterdam considers countermeasures as first e-scooters take to the streets
By Simone Jacobs
The Netherlands has recently allowed the use of electric scooters on Dutch roads. As the first licensed e-scooters start riding around on cycle paths in the Dutch capital, Amsterdam is considering measures to keep the new mode of transport out of the city.
E-scooter use allowed in the Netherlands since July
Since July 1, 2025, it has been legal to use an e-scooter on the streets of the Netherlands. The electric scooter now falls into the category of special mopeds, allowing anyone over the age of 16 to ride the scooters on Dutch cycle paths, provided they have an official blue licence plate and do not go faster than 25 kilometres per hour. Drivers of e-scooters are also not required to wear helmets.
There has been growing concern as an increasing number of faster vehicles are allowed on bike paths, creating dangerous situations. Dutch municipalities are even set to experiment with speed limits on cycle paths to combat this issue. The addition of e-scooters on the roads has the potential to exacerbate the situation.
Amsterdam unhappy with e-scooters in the city
With the first licensed e-scooters driving around Amsterdam, the city alderman for traffic, transport and air quality, Melanie van der Horst, is worried that the e-scooters will cause problems that other European cities are experiencing. "In Belgium, on average, someone injured by an electric scooter ends up in the emergency room every eight hours. That's not a pleasant prospect," van der Horst told Het Parool.
Popular e-scooter sharing services such as Lime and Bird have caused chaos on the streets of Paris and Berlin. In 2023, Paris banned rental e-scooters from the city, and Berlin limited the number allowed within the central Ringbahn area. The municipality is investigating ways to prevent the use of e-scooters in the Dutch capital and to regulate rental companies. "The market is still relaxed, but we need to look very carefully at what can be done to prevent [it from getting] worse," said van der Horst.
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Editor for the Netherlands at IamExpat Media. Simone studied Genetics and Zoology at the University of Pretoria in South Africa before moving to the Netherlands, where she has been working as a writer and editor since 2022. One thing she loves more than creating content is consuming it, mainly by reading books by the dozen. Other than being a book dragon, she is also a nature lover and enjoys hiking and animal training. Read more