Vonsild Skole in Kolding Municipality has banned all electric bikes from school group cycling trips, telling pupils to leave them behind and use the school’s loan bikes instead.
The decision was reported on August 29, 2026 by DR. The rule applies to every el-cykel, including models that are fully legal. Pupils who ride an electric bike to school must switch to one of the school’s bikes before joining a class trip.
Pernille Kjøngerskov, division head for the upper grades at Vonsild Skole, told DR that staff cannot check on the spot whether a bike is legal. For that reason, the school chose one blanket rule for all pupils. The school has 10 loan bikes available for those who arrive on an electric bike.
According to Kjøngerskov, teachers carry responsibility for pupils during trips and cannot take responsibility for bikes that can travel too fast. She said faster bikes spread a class out along the cycle path. Teachers lead both the front and the rear of the group, which becomes harder to manage.
The stated purpose is to keep illegal, over-powered electric bikes out of school trips and to make supervision easier. The school did not report any specific accident behind the decision.
Local politician backs the school
Niels Henning Bladt, deputy chair of the Children, School and Family Committee in Kolding Municipality for Venstre, supports the initiative. He has written a letter about electric bikes and scooters in Kolding Netavis, saying the trend has grown large enough to require public debate.
Bladt told DR that he encounters fast electric bikes across the city and in traffic, and that they create dangerous situations. He pointed to roads in Kolding with a 60 km/h speed limit, where he said he does not expect a bicycle to climb a hill at the same speed. He added that he sees this more and more often.
He does not want the ban turned into school policy for the whole municipality. As stated by Bladt, schools know best how to handle their own pupils, and he can only offer a recommendation. He said the decision rests with the individual school.
Illegal and tuned electric bikes and scooters have drawn wider attention from authorities in the region. Syd- og Sønderjyllands Politi reported on August 13, 2026 that officers had carried out checks near schools and stopped illegal vehicles. Rules on lighting and equipment also apply to ordinary bikes, and one cyclist was fined 11,700 kroner in a separate case.
Save up to 2,800 DKK on Your Electricity Bill
FindElpriser helps you switch electricity providers quickly and easily.
Vonsild Skole’s rule applies only to its own joint cycling trips. Pupils may still ride electric bikes to and from school.
