Amsterdam court bans beer-bikes

DutchAmsterdam.nl — Beer-bikes are no longer allowed to roam the streets of Amsterdam, a judge has ruled.

The mobile, pedal-powered bars can transport between ten and twenty people. While those who pedal can drink as much beer as they want, the designated driver does not drink any alcohol. The contraptions, for rent at several companies, are popular with stag- and hen parties.

According to the judge, legally beer bikes are classified as ‘bikes’ and may therefore not be wider than 1.5 meters, a standard exceeded by most of the vehicles.

The judge reached his decision in a case related to a May, 2009, accident with a beer-bike in Amsterdam-North. Three women were injured when the beer bike they had rented for a hen party proved too tall for a bike tunnel they tried to enter.

The party bikes full of drinking revelers frequently cause a nuisance, and often create a traffic hazard.

Last year several beer bike traffic incidents led the city’s government to look into the possibility of banning the vehicles.

Eventually the city decided against a ban, opting for a set of stricter regulations instead. At the time the city said it would, among other things, prohibit the bikes from being used in certain streets of district.

The bikes were already banned from operation within the Red Light District, due to the fact that no alcohol may be consumed on public property through the area.

A spokesperson for Amsterdam’s Center borough welcomed the judge’s ruling, saying there is little jurisprudence in this area. The district will now look into the possibility of a licensing system, Amsterdam daily Het Parool reports.

The magistrate sentenced the owner of the beer bike involved in last year’s accident to a fine of 1500 euros, half on probation.

According to the court the owner did not provide enough information to renters of the beer bike, thus causing a dangerous situation on the road.
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