As road deaths increase and cycle lanes overflow with e-bikes, the Netherlands is considering a cycling speed limit of 12mph (20km/h).
The government has started a two-week trial in Houten, near Utrecht, to gauge whether freedom-loving Dutch cyclists are willing to slow down – and whether they have any idea how fast they are going in the first place.
I’d be up for a 30 km/h speed limit, maybe even 25 km/h. 20 km/h seems very low though.
For regular bicycles speed limits don’t make much sense in general. For streets that you don’t want people to go fast you have to change the street.
Ebikes are capped at 25, going faster only happens downhill.
The article doesn’t mention the limit applies only to e-bikes, I would assume it’s for everyone
Edit: or, if you meant that as an example of a sensible limit, yes that’s a sensible limit already
That limit can be removed. I believe that in some e-bikes you can just access a hidden mode and unlock it so it’s not even a software or hardware modification.
Sure, it’s not “legal”, but if the Dutch Government refuses to regulate e-bikes nobody is going to be periodically checking them after they’re sold to make sure they comply with rules like that.
ebikes aren’t “capped” at 25, you can pedal them faster.
I do 60km to work on an ebike.