Over a fifth of bike paths have poor maintenance in the Netherlands

Over a fifth of the bike paths in the Netherlands have poor maintenance. This has been shown from research conducted by caretaker Minister Mark Harbers of Infrastructure and Water Management, which was sent to the Tweede Kamer on Tuesday.

Researchers of international engineering and consultancy firm Antea Group graded almost 500 kilometers of bike paths from A+, the best score, to D, the worst.

A score of D was given to around three percent of the paths; it is meant for broken roads with a severe lack of maintenance, leading to “unsafe usage.”

The second to worst category means that safely cycling is doubtful with “clear damage” to the path. Around 20 percent fell under this category. It was mainly concerning partly hardened bike paths like sand or shells. Most bike paths made of asphalt were in good shape.

The worst bike paths were in the east and south of the Netherlands. Over a third of the bike paths in those areas have lousy maintenance.