How the Netherlands eradicated the pothole

Yahoo

28-01-2025

The climate in England and the Netherlands is very similar – as is the amount of traffic.
But the state of English and Dutch roads couldn't be more different.
It's a startling contrast which anyone who has navigated its smooth road network can attest to. Coming across a pothole is like finding a needle in a field of tulips.
Back home in England it's a different story of pothole-ridden street after pothole-ridden street. It's a shameful reality which has caused our car repair costs to balloon by 61pc in the space of just five years.
As part of The Telegraph's nationwide campaign, Fix Our Potholes, we learn how the Netherlands has solved the problem – and what we can do about it.
Dutch drivers pay far more tax if they have a heavier car. The idea is to penalise those vehicles which most contribute to causing the potholes to help pay for the roads.
Each of the country's 12 regions also charge different tax rates, but there isn't a huge variation. Own an SUV and you should expect to pay a lot more than a hatchback.
Buy a petrol-powered Audi Q3 in England and you'll pay £190 in car tax each year. In South Holland – the most populous Dutch region – the tax would cost £902 per year, according to Telegraph analysis.
Opt for the bulky Porsche Cayenne, which weighs more than two tonnes, and you'll get a bill of £1,465 a year. By comparison, annual car tax for the same car in the UK would be £600 for the first five years of ownership, including the luxury car tax.
Other countries such as France, Norway and Estonia also factor in weight as a result of the impact heavier vehicles have on road infrastructure.
The Netherlands has embraced the shift to electric and is one of the nations leading the way for 100pc zero-emission sales by 2030. It has the densest charging infrastructure on the continent and EVs dominated the country's top 10 most sold cars of 2024.
However, as is widely known, electric cars are heavy.
The power unit alone in the Tesla Model Y weighs a hefty 771kg – around the same weight as an entire Peugeot 107 from the mid-2000s.
The Dutch Ministry of Infrastructure and Water Management found that the average car weight in the Netherlands grew by 24kg a year between 2010 and 2021, rising from 1,220kg to 1,480kg.
This has a knock-on effect on roads. Analysis by The Telegraph in 2023 found that the average electric car more than doubles the wear on road surfaces, which in turn could increase the number of potholes.
It found that the average EV puts 2.24 times more stress on roads than its petrol equivalent, and 1.95 more than diesel. Such stress on roads causes greater movement of asphalt, which can create small cracks that can develop into potholes if untreated.
Motoring bodies have disputed the level of damage caused by EVs, with the AA stating that wear and tear on the UK road network from electric cars is 'minimal' compared to that caused by HGVs and buses. Former Top Gear host Quentin Wilson has also previously criticised the 'nonsensical myth' that EVs cause significant road damage.
Heavy cars use more energy to accelerate, maintain speed and brake, according to the authors of Critical Mass, a recently published book which argues the UK Government should take into account vehicle weights.
Bulky EVs in the Netherlands were, prior to this year, immune from car tax and the large bill which would accompany their large weight.
But as the Dutch electric uptake continues to grow, the incentives are shrinking. EV owners now have to pay 25pc of their car tax bill. This 75pc discount will reduce incrementally over the coming years, before the relief is brought down to zero in 2030.
It means that in five years' time EVs, which are around 40pc heavier than engine-powered vehicles, will face some of the biggest tax bills, despite being emission-free.
A South Holland-based owner of a Tesla Model 3, the most bought car in the Netherlands last year, currently pays £367 a year in tax. The figure will rise in the coming years as the relief shrinks, and by 2030 it will stand at £1,387.
The money raised from car tax isn't ring-fenced for road maintenance, but the Dutch know how to manage their roads.
While it's famed for being a cycling nation, the Netherlands is one of the best countries to drive a car. In 2019, it came second only to Singapore when the World Economic Forum ranked the quality of road infrastructure in 141 countries. The UK came 36th, behind Azerbaijan, Brunei and Chile.
The physical actions taken by the Dutch to never let a road go beyond its lifespan are the key drivers behind the country's almost-blemish-free network. According to a government report, the average service life of the asphalt used on most Dutch motorways is about 12 years.
The silky smooth surface – made up of porous asphalt which soaks up water and generates less noise pollution – is the envy of other European countries.
'The Netherlands is extensively surfaced with porous asphalt, which is not used in Britain,' a study from our Office for Rail and Road states. 'The most commonly used material in Britain is thin surface asphalt which is considered to provide a longer lifespan than porous asphalt.'
Even in the less common instances where the Dutch use thin surface asphalt, the report concedes that there are 'higher levels of ride quality' compared with Britain.
More than half of roads in the Netherlands have a surface layer depth of 0.8mm or better. Here, the share is less than 25pc.
The Office for Rail and Road said in 2023 that it 'was unable to fully explain why ride quality is superior in the Netherlands'. A key factor, however, is the level of national importance the Dutch treat their road network.
Once a road defect is lodged, it is usually rectified within a day. Forward-planning is also incredibly detailed. The Organisation for Applied Scientific Research (TNO) says it can now 'look up to 30 years ahead for degradation and expected maintenance for every 100 metres of road'.
'Repairs after major damage are often many times more costly than relatively minor preventive interventions, so timely detection is incredibly important,' said the TNO's Greet Leegwater when detailing the country's data-driven approach to road maintenance in 2023.
'It is often more economical to include adjacent pieces scheduled for slightly later maintenance at the same time. In this way, the road only needs to be closed once, thus limiting disruption.' Patchwork (the routine repair job in Britain) is therefore off the agenda.
The Netherlands has also trialled the use of 'self-healing asphalt' on 12 different roads. Special asphalt is made with tiny steel wool fibres, which can be heated with a rolling machine. The heat causes the material to soften and repair micro-cracks.
Trials have proved fruitful, with hopes the self-healing infrastructure can boost the typical lifespan of a road surface and keep costs down in the future.
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