News item | 03-11-2023 | 2:30 PM
At the proposal of Minister Harbers of Infrastructure and Water Management, the Council of Ministers has approved the introduction of a registration and license plate obligation for special mopeds. This includes, for example, the BSO bus and the self-balancing moped from the Segway brand. All permitted types of special mopeds can be found on the RDW website.
From the moment the registration and license plate obligation comes into effect, it applies to all new special mopeds. Those who have already been admitted will have one year to arrange this.
Minister Harbers: “We see more and more new and innovative vehicles around us. Only some of them have been approved and can be used on the road. If vehicles are similar in appearance, it is difficult to tell whether that specific vehicle has been approved. I find that undesirable, because unapproved vehicles have not been found to be safe enough. The introduction of a license plate requirement ensures that people and enforcement officers can see at a glance whether they are allowed to drive this vehicle.”
Transition period
The proposal is now shared with the Senate and House of Representatives. It is then sent to the Council of State. The registration and license plate obligation can then come into effect. From the moment it comes into effect, the obligation applies to all special mopeds that are newly put into traffic. Owners of special mopeds that are already in traffic will have one year to contact the RDW: they can register their vehicle and provide it with a license plate.
The RDW has estimated that approximately 5,000 special mopeds are eligible for this transition period. They have stated that this number is feasible and adaptable. Minister Harbers has promised that the costs for a license plate must be proportionate for the users. Registering special mopeds that are already on the road costs 18 euros. The ministry pays the difference between this price and the normal price of more than 50 euros.
It has not yet been decided what the license plate will look like. In any case, the sometimes limited space available for this purpose on certain special mopeds is taken into account.
Clarity on the road
License plates make it clear to everyone which vehicles may and may not be used on the road. Moreover, this makes the vehicle recognizable, so that users and enforcement officers know what the vehicle is and is not allowed to do.
The registration obligation also makes it easier to keep track of which vehicles are purchased at which locations. The ministry estimates that the number of special mopeds will increase in the coming years. This has consequences for the crowds on the cycle path. The ministry believes it is important to keep a close eye on this expected growth.