It’s not fatbikes, per se, it’s more Chinese EV’s.
They make everything from longboards to bikes to scooters (the type I showed and the kickboard type) to mopeds.
A “normal” 25kmh limited e-bike with assist only, (which is the EU-requirement for these, legally, they’re not supposed to have a throttle, only pedal-assist) medium range bike will have a motor of like 250-350w. Most of these Chinese wheels will have motors from 500w to several kilowatts. I’m content with a 500w motor, but even with one of those, I can go up to 35km/h on a straight road at full throttle, no pedaling. I used to have a kickboard style scooter that actually did 60 on a full battery, and yes, those can be very dangerous if the driver is irresponsible.
I know bragging smells, but as a thirdgen taxi driver, being polite and careful in traffic was sort of ingrained to me from a very early age. As long as you use the vehicle responsibly, it’s okay.
But I know a lot of teenage douchebags don’t, and that’s where the problem lies, as there’s no regulation on these vehicles you deem “fatbikes” (which for the record I now understand, but also think to be highly inaccurate because of the several types of vehicle you’re trying to collectively address, most of which aren’t fatbikes, but I understand that a vast majority purchases the fatbike types, because they’re rather favoured in those shops as usually they have good prices).
There should be access to these, but with like a moped licence. (Idk if that’s a thing in NL, but big in Finland. Or nowadays less so mopeds and more those weird atv-cars.)
Personally — if it were possible to completely rehaul traffic infra — I think we should have a lane for actual cars and trucks, then “light vehicles”, and then a bikelane/pedestrian combo as is now. But like an added middle step for vehicles that often go above 25 but not usually car speeds, and which are mostly smaller, so would lose out when crashing with cars/buses.
So it’s the same regulation for NL and Finland, and those “fatbikers” you dislike probably also order them from similar stores as I. See the thing is there’s no regulation on China brining in those vehicles. They just say they are part of the sub 25km/h category, and the vehicles always have modes with less power so you could pass an inspection even. Then China sells them from a European warehouse they have, and because of the free trading within Eurozone, you don’t pay taxes or have any sort of tolls or inspection on the thing.
So yeah, I definitely see the danger. Hell, I’ve honestly had a few bumps myself, but just by myself, really, I don’t drive recklessly anywhere populated, just when it’s me alone on an empty road. It’s just that for me, those empty roads begin pretty much from my outer door, whereas in the NL, especially in cities like Amsterdam, you won’t find a place with no other roadusers, and kids having power at their fingers won’t be able to resist.
Usually probably their parents order them for the kids, as theyre several hundreds of euros. So… why would any parent order one like that and not a… safe one? Well, the biggest reason for me to have gone to the Chinese shops was simply the price. I’d end up paying literally more than twice the price for less than half the performance and battery. Yes the build would be more quality, the safety would be better. But… 800 euros is already a hefty sum to me, going well above 2k simply wasn’t possible for me.
So it’s not just a lack of regulation, but, yes, it is that very much as well.