Fast electric bikes will be treated as mopeds from 2017 and users will have to wear some form of helmet, the AD says on Friday, quoting cabinet sources.

New electric bikes are capable of speeds of up to 45 kph and there have been lengthy discussion about how to ensure their owners and other cyclists are safe.

Officials have not yet decided if the super fast bikes will be banned from cycle paths and talks are ongoing with transport minister Melanie Schultz to finalise the new rules, the paper says. At the moment e-bikes are treated in law like lighter mopeds, with no helmet requirement and a maximum speed of 25 kph.

The sale of electric bikes in the Netherlands has been rising steadily and one in five bikes now bought in the Netherlands now has a small motor. E-bikes are particularly popular with pensioners.

The AD says experts expect the number of cyclists killed in traffic accidents will outstrip motorists in the coming years. This is partly due to the rise of the e-bike, the paper says.