Amsterdam wants to reduce electric bike speed limits to just 20 km/h (12 mph)
If you thought most Europeans had it bad with lower e-bike speed limits of just 25 km/h (15 mph), then prepare yourself for even tighter restrictions in one European capital. That’s because Amsterdam’s city officials are proposing to reduce the electric bike speed limit on cycle paths to just 20 km/h (12 mph).
According to a letter to the city council from city transportation chief Melanie Van Der Horst regarding the subject of electric bike speed limits, many e-bikes traveling on the city’s vast cycling path network are said to reach speeds of 30 km/h (18 mph) or higher. The letter explained that the vast range of different speeds from slower non-electric bikes to faster electric bikes can be dangerous to kids and elderly riders on the cycling paths.
According to Dutch News, in order to create the reduced speed limit for e-bikes, a national law would need to be passed.
In the meantime, the city is trying to encourage faster electric bike riders to stick to the roads instead of cycling paths. They are also exploring the use of smart apps that can notify cyclists when they enter lower speed zones.
The issue of fast e-bikes may be uniquely important in Amsterdam, often seen as the cycling capital of the world. According to Road.cc, two thirds of daily transportation trips in the city are performed by bike.
Around 50% of bicycles sold in the city are electric, meaning e-bikes and non-electric bikes constantly mix on the cycling paths.
European electric bicycle laws don’t permit manufacturers to allow e-bikes to travel at over 25 km/h (15 mph) assisted. After hitting that speed, the motor must cut out and any additional speed is only obtainable under pedal power alone. However, non-compliant e-bikes that can exceed the established European e-bike standards can still be found.
Some electric bicycles that come programmed with EU-legal speed limits can also be modified to travel faster, though manufacturers and regulators have attempted to put an end to this practice of e-bike hot-rodding.
Electrek’s Take
The balance of speed and efficiency is tricky, especially in a place like Amsterdam where two-wheeled traffic can outnumber four-wheeled traffic. Faster e-bikes are often preferred because they reduce travel time and thus are more effective. But faster e-bike speeds can sometimes come at the cost of safety when cycling paths are already crowded.
However, I’m not sure that targeting e-bikes is the best way to handle it, especially when pedal bikes often ride faster. This is especially true in Europe, where the lower 25 km/h (15 mph) speed limit on e-bikes already means that many pedal cyclists pass by e-bikes in the cycling lanes.
Instead, it seems like a system that treats cycle path users like road users makes more sense. Creating a speed limit that is posted on the bike lane and then ticketing anyone who exceeds it or otherwise rides dangerously would seem sensible to me. It would allow e-bikes to be capable of higher speeds, which is useful when on the open road, but would ensure that people only use those speeds where safe and appropriate.
Of course that would require more manpower in the form of increased traffic cops. But if the issue here is safety, and if you’re playing with the kind of tax money that European countries get to enjoy, then it seems worth it to me.
But hey, they don’t ask me for my opinion on Dutch cycling laws. Nor should they.
FTC: We use income earning auto affiliate links. More.
Climate XChange’s 9th Annual EV Raffle is your chance to win the electric car of your dreams – from Rivian to Tesla to Porsche and more!
But don’t wait, because there are only 5,000 tickets available!
Imagine getting to custom order your perfect EV, with every detail just the way you want it, up to $120,000, and with all taxes covered. That’s what the Grand Prize Winner gets to do – and you could be that winner.
How it works
Enter at CarbonRaffle.org/Electrek. Every ticket you buy is one entry to win. Climate XChange is only selling 5,000 tickets, which means your odds are better here than most internet sweepstakes! Plus, you can feel good knowing your ticket supports an amazing cause: pushing for state-level climate action and advancing the transition to a zero-emissions economy.
The prizes
- Grand Prize: Custom-built EV of your choice, valued up to $120,000, with all taxes covered.
- 2nd Place: $12,500 cash.
- 3rd Place: $7,500 cash.
- Early Bird Prize: Buy your ticket before December 31, 2024, and you’ll also be entered to win $10,000 on January 3, 2025.
That’s two drawings for the price of one ticket – and four chances to win big!
Why enter?
Climate XChange has been making dreams come true for nearly a decade. Last year’s winner drove off in a custom red Tesla Model X Plaid, and you could be next! Climate XChange takes fairness seriously: It prints every raffle ticket stub and live-streams the entire drawing process, ensuring transparency. Independent auditors oversee everything, so you know the drawing is legit.
Who is Climate XChange?
Climate XChange (CXC) is a nonpartisan nonprofit working to help states transition to a zero-emissions economy. It advances state climate policy through its State Climate Policy Network, connecting over 15,000 advocates and policymakers, and through its State Climate Policy Dashboard, a leading data platform for tracking climate action across the US.
Get your ticket today
Visit CarbonRaffle.org/Electrek to grab your ticket. Limited tickets are available – remember, Climate XChange is only selling 5,000 tickets – so don’t miss your shot at an electric future!
Climate XChange EV Raffle rules summary
- Must be 18 or older to enter.
- Tickets are available at CarbonRaffle.org/Electrek.
- Only 5,000 tickets will be sold.
- Early Bird Drawing on January 3, 2025.
- Grand Prize Drawing on February 28, 2025.
All proceeds support Climate XChange’s work to push for ambitious climate policy – so even if you don’t win, you’re still making a difference.
FTC: We use income earning auto affiliate links. More.
China just connected its largest single-capacity solar farm built on a former coal mining area, which is in the Gobi Desert, to the grid.
The Mengxi Blue Ocean Photovoltaic Power Station, located in Otog Front Banner, Ordos, Inner Mongolia, came online on November 5. With a massive installed capacity of 3 gigawatts (GW) and over 5.9 million solar panels, the plant will generate around 5.7 billion kilowatt-hours of electricity annually – enough to power 2 million households.
This huge project will save about 1.71 million tons of standard coal each year and cut carbon dioxide emissions by roughly 4.7 million tons, which is equivalent to planting 62,700 hectares (around 155,000 acres) of trees.
Built on coal mining subsidence land, Mengxi Blue Ocean is part of China’s national West-East Electricity Transfer Project, which brings investment and development to western China west while supplying the growing need for electricity in the eastern provinces.
The solar farm includes the country’s first large-scale outdoor solar testing base in the Gobi Desert climate, demonstrating the potential for large solar installations in challenging environments.
The power station makes use of new rare earth alloy grounding materials, cutting costs by 40%. It also replaces traditional concrete foundations with steel to minimize impact on the local grassland ecosystem.
Chuang Xihong, deputy director of the Engineering Construction Department of Guodian Power Group, CHN Energy’s parent company, explained that Mengxi Blue Ocean is an agrivoltaic project as well [via PV Tech]:
Fine forage and sand-fixing plants are planted under the PV modules, providing grazing for Australian White Sheep and chickens. A composite ecological development model will be established where PV power generation and breeding will go hand in hand.
Read more: China powers up the world’s largest open-sea offshore solar farm
If you live in an area that has frequent natural disaster events, and are interested in making your home more resilient to power outages, consider going solar and adding a battery storage system. To make sure you find a trusted, reliable solar installer near you that offers competitive pricing, check out EnergySage, a free service that makes it easy for you to go solar. They have hundreds of pre-vetted solar installers competing for your business, ensuring you get high quality solutions and save 20-30% compared to going it alone. Plus, it’s free to use and you won’t get sales calls until you select an installer and share your phone number with them.
Your personalized solar quotes are easy to compare online and you’ll get access to unbiased Energy Advisers to help you every step of the way. Get started here. –trusted affiliate link*
FTC: We use income earning auto affiliate links. More.
-
Sports2 years ago‘Storybook stuff’: Inside the night Bryce Harper sent the Phillies to the World Series
-
Sports7 months agoStory injured on diving stop, exits Red Sox game
-
Sports2 years agoMLB Rank 2023: Ranking baseball’s top 100 players
-
Sports1 year agoGame 1 of WS least-watched in recorded history
-
Environment1 year agoJapan and South Korea have a lot at stake in a free and open South China Sea
-
Sports3 years ago
Team Europe easily wins 4th straight Laver Cup
-
Environment2 years agoGame-changing Lectric XPedition launched as affordable electric cargo bike
-
Business2 years agoBank of England’s extraordinary response to government policy is almost unthinkable | Ed Conway