No plans to ban scooters from cycle paths

Dutch Transport Minister Melanie Schultz said that the government is not planning to ban scooters from cycle paths and requiring riders to wear helmets. Scooter / Wikipedia Schultz told the House that the government has no plans to address the nuisance of scooters, Rtvutrecht reported. In December, four big Dutch cities – Amsterdam, Rotterdam, The Hague and Utrecht – requested the government to ban scooters from cycle paths and require bike riders to wear helmets. Early this month, Amsterdam Mayor Eberhard van der Laan said in a current affairs show that he predicts a ban in 2014 on scooters from the city’s cycle paths. “We will succeed in getting scooters banned from the cycle paths,” the mayor said. In a briefing to MPs, Schultz said that moving scooters from cycle paths to the main roads is very dangerous. Scooters can cause problems for other vehicles on the roads. She also said that it not possible legally to require riders to wear helmets. The Foundation for Road Safety Research (SWOV) said that allowing scooters on bike paths is dangerous for cyclists. According to SWOV, there were 689 victims of scooter accidents in the four cities in 2012. To improve safety of cyclists, Schultz said that they are working on a new plan to prevent nuisance between scooter and cycles.