Amsterdam looks to ban fatbikes from busy areas, starting with Vondelpark

Continuing its war against “nuisance” fatbikes, Amsterdam is examining plans to ban them from certain busy parts of the city. Vondelpark looks likely to become the first fatbike-free zone from early next year. 

Amsterdam fed up with fatbikes

According to Melanie van der Horst, who heads up traffic and transport for Amsterdam, the municipality receives near-constant complaints from residents about fatbikes. 

With the Dutch government being slow to take action - claiming it is hard to make a legal distinction between a fatbike and an electric bicycle - Amsterdam is examining the possibility of taking matters into its own hands with a local bylaw, according to a city press release.

The Dutch capital previously utilised this same bylaw to ban so-called beer bikes (kinds of "bars on wheels" aimed at tourists) from Amsterdam’s city centre, based on numerous reports of nuisance and traffic hazards. Since fatbikes are considered to be a similar nuisance, city officials believe the ban could hold up. 

The General Local Bylaw (APV) would enable the municipality to impose a ban on fatbikes in areas where significant nuisance and unsafe situations occur. It would apply to all electric bikes with tyres wider than seven centimetres. It would first take effect in Vondelpark, one of the city’s busiest spots where there have been frequent reports of fatbike riders causing problems. 

Fatbike ban to be voted on by Amsterdam city council

However, there’s a long way to go until that point. The city council would first need to vote on the law. The ban might also be taken to court and there’s a chance it might not be upheld. 

If Amsterdam is successful, however, it will likely extend the ban to other parks in the city, and it seems likely that other cities in the Netherlands would follow suit with their own fat bike bans.