A clear majority of MPs has called on the government to introduce an age limit and compulsory helmets for users of the wide-tired e-bikes known as fatbikes.

MPs want the age limit to use the two-wheelers set at 14, the youngest age at which people can be required to carry ID. They also back bringing in a helmet requirement for fatbikes, as doctors and road safety experts have urged.

Infrastructure minister Barry Madlener, who said earlier this week he did not back legislation, told MPs that it would be tricky to introduce the rules for fatbike users only because they are difficult to differentiate from ordinary e-bikes.

If this is not possible, the rules will have to apply to all e-bike users, the minister said.

The plan is backed by all four coalition parties.

Support

Support for government action to limit the fatbike menace is growing, with most people calling for compulsory helmets, licences or a minimum age, according to a survey of 19,000 RTL news readers last week.

Fatbikes are electric bikes with wide tyres but are more similar to old-fashioned mopeds and are often souped up to go faster than the maximum 25 kph. More than half of fatbikes checked by police in Amsterdam in the first five months of 2024 had been tinkered with to reach higher speeds.