Enschede Becomes the First Dutch City to Ban Fatbikes From Shopping Areas

Enschede has become the first city in the Netherlands to officially ban fatbikes from its city centre shopping area. The ban came into effect on March 11, 2026, after the city council voted to amend its local public order rules, known as the Algemene Plaatselijke Verordening or APV. The move has been years in the making and is being watched closely by dozens of other Dutch municipalities considering similar measures.

Rentals in the Netherlands

Signaal tracks the Dutch rental market and notifies you the moment something matches your search. Be first to apply.

What the ban covers

The ban applies to electric bicycles with tyres wider than seven centimetres. It is limited to the pedestrian shopping zone in the city centre and only applies during shopping hours: Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday, Friday and Saturday from 10am to 6pm. Riders who ignore the ban face a fine of 115 euros, issued by municipal enforcement officers known as boa's.

Delivery services using fatbikes have been given three months to adjust their vehicles before fines are issued to them. For the first two weeks, all riders will receive a warning rather than an immediate fine.

Why Enschede pushed ahead

The push for a ban came from the city council itself. VVD councillor Rachel Denneboom submitted the original motion last summer, saying she regularly heard from residents about being hit by a fatbike or having a near-miss in the shopping area. "That has to stop," she said at the time.

The municipality says fatbike riders frequently travel at high speeds through the shopping area, sometimes in groups, creating dangerous and stressful situations for shoppers and business owners alike.

Alderman Marc Teutelink said the ban was made as proportionate as possible to keep it legally defensible, restricting it specifically to shopping hours in the shopping zone. The city spent months drawing up the plan after the council's motion passed, having initially targeted a February launch before concluding more preparation time was needed.

The legal complications

The ban is not without controversy. The Public Prosecution Service has said it considers the measure legally vulnerable and will not enforce it, meaning police officers will not issue fines. Only municipal boa's will do so.

Legal experts have raised questions about whether municipalities are even allowed to introduce their own traffic rules of this kind. Leiden University professor Geerten Boogaard said the first real test will come when a fined rider challenges the fine in court. Fatbike retailer La Souris has already launched legal proceedings against the municipality, arguing that without national legislation, a local ban cannot be valid.

The municipality disagrees, saying the measure is well-grounded and targets a genuine public safety problem.

The loopholes

Some retailers are already finding ways around the rule. Because the ban is defined by tyre width, bikes with tyres narrower than seven centimetres are not affected. Dealers are now selling so-called skinnybikes as an alternative, and one retailer said he tells customers: "We can adapt to anything they come up with."

The municipality has acknowledged it has no control over new variants entering the market, saying it will assess new models as they appear and create new rules where necessary.

What comes next

Teutelink said around 30 to 40 other municipalities have been watching what Enschede does and are ready to follow if the approach holds up. Amsterdam has already voted in favour of a fatbike ban in certain busy areas, though which specific locations are still being decided.

At the national level, the coalition agreement includes plans to create a separate legal category for fatbikes, which would make it easier to introduce rules targeting them specifically. The new cabinet is also considering a minimum age, a helmet requirement and the option for municipalities to designate fatbike-free zones. Until that legislation arrives, Enschede is making do with what it has.