Hoogeveen will investigate whether there can be a ban on Fatbikes in the center. A number of political parties believe that the bicycle with thick tires causes nuisance and wants the municipality to do something about it.
“It is starting to become problematic. Young people who are cracking past the center and the shopping public almost cycles. Something has to happen to that,” said VVD member Wilco Kramer. Supported by Gemeentebelangen, the CDA, ChristenUnie and the SGP, the parties together had a counselor for the request.
The parties join the news from Enschede. There the municipality started a study whether there are legal possibilities to keep Fatbikes out of the center. That turns out to be quite difficult, because in principle a fatbike is an electric bicycle. If you ban one, you would also have to ban the other. Harrie van der Meer van GroenLinks therefore saw no salvation in the plan of the petitioners.
“There is no legal ground to ban a fatbike, so it makes no sense.” The Wolter Dekker of the PvdA did not go along with the plan and especially wanted to wait for the investigation in Enschede. “They are already doing it, why we still?”
In the past, the CDA has also asked to look at a ban. Hoogeveen did not get any further, because it soon became clear that a fatbike and an electric bicycle fall under the same category. Then you should both forbid.
“In principle, we can’t do much more now,” said Mayor Martijn Breukelman. “Let’s see what happens in Enschede, if that leads to something fertile, then we can always look further.”