I have announced to my friends, family and my colleagues that I am purchasing a speed pedelec. It is an electric bike and its maximum speed is 45 km/h (a little less than 30 MPH).
The opinion of those people varies. A few colleagues are outright against, but I really don't care. They think I am not careful enough, but I think I am, because for a speed pedelec you need a moped driver's licence. A car and a motorcycle driver's licence are compatible, and since I have car license, I also have a license (both are printed on one card) for a speed pedelec. So I do really know what traffic safety is. You ride a speed pedelec with some common sense. You don't drive 30 MPH in small streets with a lot of parked cars, crossings and playing children whose behaviour can be unpredictable. You must be ready to stop. That means you ride with a low speed.
In the Netherlands there are the following traffic rules for speed pedelecs:
- you must drive where the cars are (they drive 50 km/h), unless there is a bromfietspad (path for bikes, mopeds and speed pedelecs). Your speed limit is 45 km/h;
- On a bromfietspad inside the town or city, the speed limit is 30 km/h (little less than 20 MPH);
- On a bromfietspad outside the speed limit is 40 km/h (about 25 MPH).
But do you manage to get to 45 km/h (or little less than 30 MPH). Then you must be a very well trained biker with a lot of stamina. I am not such a biker. I won't manage to bike 45 km/h for a long time. 35 km/h or 40 km/h is what I may manage, but only on quiet main streets, where the traffic on connecting streets, must stop.
03 Oct 2017, 2:15 pm
