The Dutch capital has banned beer bikes from its street after there were repeated complaints against the disorderly behaviour of the rowdy and drunk tourists.
A court ruling on Tuesday paved the way for the contraptions saying that the beer bikes were causing a “public order problem”. According to the travel critiques, these vehicles also created chaos in terms of mass tourism as these bicycles were a common and popular way for the tourists to enjoy any stag parties.
Amsterdam District Court said in a statement that “the beer bicycle may be banned from the city centre to stop it from being a nuisance”. It also said that the combination of traffic disruptions, anti-social behaviour and the busy city centre justifies a ban.
The ban might not be seen in positive spirit by all, specially for those tourists who liked the combination of the two – alcohol and cycling. However, it was not a appreciable scene drunk tourists spilling beer while cycling in the heart of this historic city which otherwise became a common sight.
For many residents they’ve become a symbol of the trouble associated with ‘the wrong type of tourism’. The council recently announced plans to increase hotel taxes to try to reduce the number of budget travellers.
Cycling culture in old and common in The Dutch tourism sector but few will miss the inebriated foreigners who commandeer these novelty vehicles, sometimes at the expense of those who use bikes as a practical and sensible way to get on with life.
