The number of road accidents involving cyclists has fallen faster in Amsterdam than anywhere else in the three years since motorised scooters were banned from cycle lanes in the capital.

Analysis by traffic bureau VIA found that recorded incidents between 2018 and 2021 were down by 29.6% compared to the previous three-year period from 2014 to 2017.

The ban on scooters came into force in April 2019 and has been enforced by numberplate recognition cameras since last November.

In contrast, accidents in Rotterdam fell by 15.6%, while in The Hague they were up by 49.2%, according to VIA’s figures.

Collisions on cycle paths are frequently caused by vehicles travelling at different speeds, particularly in Amsterdam where lanes are often narrow because of the layout of the city.

More than a quarter of Amsterdammers (28%) told a survey by Cyclomedia that they felt unsafe on the road, while 37% said they avoided dangerous junctions. However, seven on 10 said they felt making helmets mandatory was a step too far.

Transport chief Egbert de Vries, who is responsible for the city council’s traffic policy, said he was pleased that the accident figures were ‘structurally falling,’ but warned that the increasing number of faster e-bikes was potentially a new problem.

‘We need to keep an eye on the proliferation of e-bikes,’ he said. ‘We’re also lobbying the national government to move electric bikes to the roadway when we reduce the speed limit [in urban areas] from 50 km/h to 30 km/h.’