Riding an EUC in Amsterdam

[hal2000]

Hi!

Anyone visits the city? Do you ride EUC in the touristy areas there? I'm travelling to Amsterdam this weekend and of course want to take my wheel with me but at the same time I don't want it to be cofiscated

I will appreciate any feedback in this regard.

Cheers!

[Freeforester]

I may be behind the times, but as far as I know the use of EUC in Netherlands is not yet legal, so travelling to their capital city and riding in the more fashionable areas may not be a great idea. Taking it but not using it is an option, but I think you may be better off leaving it at home, and renting a bicycle or ebike, at least until such time as the Netherlands government adopt a more enlightened approach to PEV’s. 
 

Hopefully one of the NL EUC riders will clarify and advise.

[Robert Rijkers]

Amsterdam is probably the city in NL where you have the highest chance of getting a fine or even your wheel confiscated because of it's high traffic and tourist volume.

Where I live there are barely any euc's (seen just one other rider in the last 3 years) so it's still a puzzle to most police and I've only been held standing twice and both times I just pointed out the fuzzy rules since euc's tend to have a grey area in the law because they do not have 2 or multiple wheels making them motorized vehicles as the term vehicle itself does not include single wheels. If you're lucky they will just take a bemused look as long as you don't drive like a maniac or run red lights (traffic version not the other ones in Amsterdam ;p ),  if you're less lucky you get a warning and you'll be sent walking with the trolley handle out... and if you are unlucky you can get a fine or confiscation if you meet the wrong grumpy cop that can't be arsed with explanations and will just leave it up to the officer of justice and give you a lot of headache in getting your wheel back.

So even in my hometown i tend to take the backroutes where no cars come or the bikelane only routes when i go shopping or commute to my work on a daily basis. Because I also don't want to waste another 15 minutes explaining to the local law enforcement why this wheel isn't legal per se yet it is also not strictly illegal.

I wouldn't even ride my bike in Amsterdam let alone one of my wheels. yet that is another story alltogether.

[mhpr262]

17 hours ago, Robert Rijkers said:

Amsterdam is probably the city in NL where you have the highest chance of getting a fine or even your wheel confiscated because of it's high traffic and tourist volume.

Where I live there are barely any euc's (seen just one other rider in the last 3 years) so it's still a puzzle to most police and I've only been held standing twice and both times I just pointed out the fuzzy rules since euc's tend to have a grey area in the law because they do not have 2 or multiple wheels making them motorized vehicles as the term vehicle itself does not include single wheels. If you're lucky they will just take a bemused look as long as you don't drive like a maniac or run red lights (traffic version not the other ones in Amsterdam ;p ),  if you're less lucky you get a warning and you'll be sent walking with the trolley handle out... and if you are unlucky you can get a fine or confiscation if you meet the wrong grumpy cop that can't be arsed with explanations and will just leave it up to the officer of justice and give you a lot of headache in getting your wheel back.

So even in my hometown i tend to take the backroutes where no cars come or the bikelane only routes when i go shopping or commute to my work on a daily basis. Because I also don't want to waste another 15 minutes explaining to the local law enforcement why this wheel isn't legal per se yet it is also not strictly illegal.

I wouldn't even ride my bike in Amsterdam let alone one of my wheels. yet that is another story alltogether.

if you ever get stopped by a cop and you think he wont let you off with just a warnign tell them the trolley handle is a "steering handle" which makes the "new" and "adapted" version of EUCs legal for road use. That is how I got off in my first (and so far last) encounter with German police. I even got an apology from the cop for inconveniencing me, LOL

[Tazarinho]

The Netherlands is one of the only countries I never take my wheel and it's a darn shame as the (bicycle) infrastructure would be great for it. My sister lives in Amsterdam, and I would love to travel up north and visit her and the rest of the family by wheel, but it's not worth the trouble. And as pointed out above. Amsterdam is the place where trouble is most likely if you ride a wheel.

[Scubadragonsan]

The world is really behind the green movement as much as so-called leaders are concerned with global climate change. Somehow their heads, bureaucrats and politicians, can't accept wheels following the same rules with bicycles is mind-boggling. I think speed limit, whether 15 or around there and respect are the keys to safety and acceptance of any electric mobility or not. Here in San Francisco, I am glad in most cases, we don't have to worry about being cited or confiscated, very little to no hassles from policeman. Really, they have more important criminals to go after than chasing wheelers. Now I won't considering travelling to any countries where wheeling is illegal!