Electrically powered scooters, skateboards and unicycles raced through the center of Breda on Saturday. Very exceptional, because these vehicles are not allowed on public roads in the Netherlands. You can even get a hefty fine for it. But Paul Depla, mayor of Breda, overlooked it this one time. Because this group of 180 enthusiasts demonstrated to show that it is a safe means of transport.
Almost all of them wear a helmet: the drivers of the passing electric scooters, skateboards and unicycles, also known as onewheelers. They are all ‘Light Electric Vehicles’ (LEV). The action group drives a ten-kilometre route. “What makes them so beautiful? It’s something different,” says Hugo Nieman of the action group ‘Legal Driving’.
“After the accident with the Stint, it was decided that safety comes before innovation.”
“The electric scooter is the best known of the LEVs. Now we want to show that you can use them safely in traffic,” says Tim Hartendorp, also a member of the action group. “Sometimes the image is painted that it is not safe, but I think that is unjustified.”
In the Netherlands, the accident with the Stint in 2018 plays a major role, Tim thinks. Four children were killed in the tragic accident with the electric wagon on the track at Oss-West station.
“That was dramatic for everyone, then that legislation was locked. Subsequently, research was done that showed that the Stint was unsafe. That is why it has now been decided that safety comes before innovation.”
Hector agrees: “People from the government often don’t even know about the LEVs and think they are dangerous. We want to show that it is possible on the road.”
“Especially in the Netherlands it is safe, with our flat roads and good wide cycle paths.”
The men therefore do not think the fine of 400 euros for the ‘unsafe vehicles’ is justified. “If you handle it responsibly and wear a helmet, for example, then it is possible. Especially in the Netherlands with our flat roads and good wide cycle paths.”
“For me it is even the safest means of transport,” says an elderly participant of the protest. “I had a cardiac arrest. I am no longer allowed to drive a car and the bicycle is less safe. It is easier to get off an electric scooter if something happens.”
According to the activists, there are plenty of benefits. “They are also clean. So let’s hit the road, let’s help improve the environment. It won’t solve the problem, but it will contribute!”
