Zoetermeer drops doctor requirement for bicycle exemptions

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The municipality of Zoetermeer has eased the rules for exemptions allowing people to cycle through the Dorpsstraat and Stadshart shopping areas. Applicants no longer have to undergo an examination by a family doctor.

The change followed attention to the case of 74-year-old Connie van Kuijen, who had previously been refused permission to ride her tricycle through the shopping streets. An alderman visited her personally, and she has now obtained the exemption she sought.

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Transport & Travel

Connie van Kuijen allowed to ride her electric tricycle through Zoetermeer shopping streets

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Seventy-four-year-old Connie van Kuijen from Zoetermeer, who has difficulty walking and depends on her electric tricycle, was initially denied an exemption to ride through the city’s shopping streets. The regulation intended for people in her situation was described as complicated and inconsistent with medical rules. After further discussion, the municipality reversed its position. Van Kuijen may ride through the Dorpsstraat and Stadshart, and the alderman personally apologized. The municipality said she does not need an exemption because her tricycle is classified as a vehicle for people with disabilities.