Amsterdam wants to install a box on electric bikes to automatically limit their speed

The Dutch capital will soon be the first city to test a system that automatically limits the speed of e-bikes in certain areas. Five other European cities should also try the experiment.

After drivers in cars, at the beginning of April, we began to take an interest in drivers on bicycles. In a few months Amsterdam, in the Netherlands, will be the first city to carry out this experiment. The electric bikes will be equipped with a box that will constantly monitor speed and location. As a result, when the cyclist arrives near a school, a crossroads or a pedestrian street, the electric assistance will stop. And the bike will be automatically limited to 15 or 20 km/h. In the event of an accident, there will therefore be less risk of it turning into a tragedy.

You should know that in the Netherlands as in France, electric bikes are factory limited to 25 km/h. But in Amsterdam, according to the traffic manager, more than half of cyclists travel faster than this limit. Either because they have unrestrained their engine, or because they use speedelecs or fat bikes which are, in fact, mopeds disguised as bicycles. The recent increase in the number of accidents eventually prompted them to launch this experiment. But first of all, you must agree to have the famous box installed. For now, this is a voluntary approach. But the objective is to convince bicycle and engine manufacturers to pre-install this type of clamping.

Ambitions on a European scale

The Netherlands also seeks to influence legislators across Europe. This is why the experiment will also be carried out in five other European cities. We know that Munich, Athens and Milan are already in the running and that a French city could perhaps join them.

It is the European Parliament which is targeted. Moreover, the Netherlands does not hide it. A positive result would give enough weight to change the regulations and impose the same anti-driver devices on electric bikes as on cars. Indeed, from next July, all new cars must be able to automatically adapt to speed limits. Some might find these systems infantilizing. But on bicycles, this would have the advantage of authorizing speedelecs to finally circulate on cycle paths, since they would automatically be limited to 25 km/h.