Netherlands' Speed-Limit Trial Exposes the Enforcement Gap in Cycling Safety

Dutch authorities are trialling a 20 km/h cap on cycling lanes to address record fatalities — 281 in 2025 — yet face a regulatory paradox: compliant 25 km/h e-bikes would technically violate the limit under motor assistance. Without point-to-point speed cameras or handheld enforcement at scale, critics argue the policy amounts to liability theatre. Proponents counter that posted limits shift behavior and create legal grounds for physical infrastructure redesign.