In recent years active mobility is promoted as one of the levers for mobility changes away from the use of motorised vehicles. Road authorities at all levels invest in new cycle facilities. But active travellers only stay keen on using this infrastructure if it is maintained and kept at a sufficient quality level. This contribution discusses the prerequisites for a cycle facility management system (CFMS): the link between the quality requirements, the surface condition of the cycle facilities, and the decisions cycle facility managers can make. It is shown that the combination of criteria related to mobility and criteria related to surface condition enhance manager’s understanding. It is widely accepted that there are five quality requirements for cycle facilities: Coherence and Readability, Directness, Attractiveness, Safety, and Comfort. These are discussed in the paper, identifying their link either to surface characteristics or to field situations. The paper lists different maintenance actions that can help improving on the quality requirements. Comfort and safety aspects are strongly linked with surface characteristics of the cycle facility and can be inspected or measured with methods studied in the frame of the Belgian pre-normative project SuChar-BiLan. Other quality requirements may ask for regular clearing of fallen tree leaves and dirt, or small adjustments to the environment. Hence, to determine the needs of maintenance actions, inspections, condition measurements, inventory data analysis, user’s feedback and the evaluation of situations are needed, combining mobility measures and surface condition maintenance. The paper discusses several cycle facility management practices reported in the literature. It is argued that strategic decision with a CFMS needs to be based on the evaluation of all five quality requirements. It is concluded that a CFMS should provide a strategy of investment in condition maintenance, modifications in design, simple resolutions of situations, and routine measures.

cycle facilities; expectations; design; maintenance