It is increasingly busy on the bicycle paths in the Netherlands, and more people have started using the bicycle, especially since the corona pandemic. From this week, the students in the North region will also go back to school, and from next week and the following week, the South and Central region. This also creates extra traffic on the Dutch cycle paths towards the various schools. According to the media, the association of construction and infrastructure companies Bouwend Nederland (BNL), based on a study by engineering consultancy Sweco, states that an investment of between 413 million and 2,2 billion euros is needed to secure these cycle paths, which are mainly used by school students. to make. With approximately 4300 affiliated construction companies, Bouw Nederland is the largest employers' organization in the construction industry. Bouwend Nederland unites, connects and supports construction and infrastructure companies.

We have approximately 6200 kilometers of cycle paths in our country. According to Bouwend Nederland, about 81 percent of these are too narrow or much too narrow. This would be a problem especially in the province of Zeeland. The increasing use of different types of bicycles by students, such as wider bicycles with crates at the front and carrier bicycles, is causing more and more problems on these busy bicycle routes. Apparently there are still many bicycle paths in the Netherlands that are not made of concrete or asphalt (closed pavement) but are made of, for example, tiles, concrete tiles or baked clinkers (open pavement). With the above investment, the busy cycle paths can be made safer and more comfortable by replacing them with closed pavement and making them wider.

'Unfortunately, we see that municipal infrastructure is not always given the priority it deserves in these times of corona. Substantial investments are required to maintain the quality of our municipal infrastructure, such as cycle routes, and therefore the safety of users. We all like to cycle. That is healthy, good for the environment and helps to moderate the pressure on other means of transport. Then we must also be prepared to keep our bicycle network in top condition', says Maxime Verhagen, chairman of Building the Netherlands.

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