These button badges are from the time when all bicycles were still “green”. I found them in an old box stored in the shed …
Today, the majority of new bicycles sold are electrically assisted and thus bicycles have become part of environmental pollution.
It’s only a matter of time until all bicycles are electrically supported and even more speed pedelecs are racing around …
The problem of the old batteries and associated discarded bicycles will soon become clear. Even the bicycle thieves will no longer be interested. I wonder which company can come up with a revenue model for this, without burdening the environment with it.
As an old cyclist, it hurts me to see this development. Bicycles are the most efficient means of transport: why downgrade them?
For me, everyone with an electrically assisted bicycle is a physically disabled person and people with a speed pedelec are motorcyclists who should not be allowed to ride on the bicycle path.
I am very sorry that the ANWB and even the Fietsersbond are going along with the use of “green” in the revenue model of the manufacturers. In a country like the Netherlands where there is no mountain landscape and all space is provided with very nice comfortable cycling infrastructure, electrical support only ensures a higher speed. There is a good chance that the infrastructure will eventually also be adapted to the electrically assisted bicycle. That will be at the expense of the “regular” bicycle.
I am very annoyed by the people who have driven a car for years and now suddenly see themselves as cyclists because of the possibility of electrical support. I strongly feel that these are the kind of people who behave like a motorist on the bike path (antisocial, with a grumpy facial expression, unfriendly, etc)
To be clear: If I also buy an electrically assisted bicycle due to old age and weakness, I consider myself a physically handicapped person. No problem. You shouldn’t be ashamed of having a disability, but you shouldn’t be denying it either.
Wim Harwig 