This is the best summary I could come up with:

Officials in the Netherlands, a country with more bicycles than people, are tackling a plague of “wild parking” by confiscating illegally stationed bikes and increasing the penalties to get them back.

This year the southern city of Maastricht – beloved of international students – banned people from “orphaning” their bikes by deserting them on the street.

To be legal, cyclists in the inner city must park at a bike rack – securing it to railings or a lamp-post is a no-no.

“But on the other hand, this sometimes brings problems in public space … and this decision is because the number of incorrectly parked bicycles remains too high despite all efforts.”

But Mark Mülders, the head of the GreenLeft local party, is concerned that the penalties could be counterproductive.

“I would rather that they get a fine for incorrectly parking their car than their bike because everyone who cycles has made a contribution to a car-free inner city.”

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