WORDS: JOS SLUIJSMANS, FOUNDER & DIRECTOR OF THE INTERNATIONAL CARGO BIKE FESTIVAL
ILLUSTRATION AND PORTRAIT: KARIN VEENENDAAL
Overcrowded
bike lanes?
Why not ride
on the road?
Bike lanes in the Netherlands are becoming increasingly crowded. That in itself is a good sign, because it means more people are cycling. Not only that, but there is also more diversity in the types of ‘bicycle-like’ vehicles on our streets, such as cargo bikes, velomobiles, adapted bikes, tandems, duo-cycles, rickshaws and bikes with trailers.
The speed, size and mass of bicycles is also increasing. So much so that road safety on cycle paths can sometimes suffer. This is especially a problem for the most vulnerable cyclists: children, parents with children, the disabled and the elderly. And that’s something we don’t want.
On the road
A solution could lie in the law as it now stands. In the Netherlands, where a fine-meshed, nationwide network of separated cycling infrastructure already exists, it is thought by many that riding on the fietspad, or bike path, is compulsory. But that’s not entirely true. According to Article 5(4) of the Traffic Rules and Signs Regulations 1990 (RVV 1990): “Drivers of bicycles on more than two wheels that are wider than 0.75 metres, including the load, and of bicycles with trailers that are wider than 0.75 metres, including the load, may use the carriageway.”
This means that cargo bikes, velomobiles, tandems, duo bicycles, rickshaws, and bicycles with trailers (e.g. for transporting goods) on more than two wheels and wider than 75 centimetres may use the carriageway. It is not compulsory for wider bikes in the Netherlands to use the bike path. However, you can only use the carriageway safely if the speed limit there is not too high: a maximum of 30 kilometres per hour. And, of course, riders would need to feel safe in order to venture out onto the carriageway.
Know your rights
In practice, it is mainly velomobile riders who exercise their right to ride on the carriageway. A velomobile is a streamlined recumbent bicycle, also referred to by non-recumbent cyclists as a banana, cigar or rocket-on-wheels. Some Dutch velomobilists even carry a copy of Article 5(4) RVV 1990, as their experience shows them that many law enforcement officers aren’t aware of this traffic rule. That said, if a police officer instructs you to ride on the cycle path, you must comply, even though you are legally entitled to ride on the carriageway.
Better for everyone
Allowing riders of wider bikes to use the carriageway just makes sense. Since cargo bikes replace cars and vans, it also seems right for them to take the place of these vehicles on the road – and not contribute to cycle lane congestion.
It’s true that the Netherlands has something of a luxurious problem with its excellent cycling infrastructure leading to cycle lane congestion, when many other countries are fighting to get their separated cycle lanes built at all. But other countries can take lessons from what we have experienced here in the Netherlands – and perhaps take a shortcut to a better situation. Lower speed limits on city streets can mean more possibilities for riders of wider bikes, less congestion on cycle lanes and better road safety for vulnerable cyclists and pedestrians. Win-win-win.
This article is an excerpt from Carrier Issue 02 – out May 2025.
You can read the Dutch version here.
