EuroVelo is a network of long-distance cycling routes (currently 14) criss-crossing Europe, in various stages of completion. As of May 2013 more than 45,000 km (27,962 mi) were in place. The network is scheduled for substantial completion by 2020 and when finished, the EuroVelo network's total length will exceed 70,000 km (43,496 mi). EuroVelo is a project of the European Cyclists' Federation (ECF).
EuroVelo routes can be used for bicycle touring across the continent, as well as by local people making short journeys. The routes are made of both existing national bike routes -- such as the Dutch LF-Routes, the German D-Routes, and the British National Cycle Network -- and existing general purpose roads, together with new stretches of cycle routes to connect them.
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History
The idea of creating a network of international cycle routes spanning Europe started in 1995. It was initially coordinated by the ECF, De Frie Fugle (Denmark) and Sustrans (UK) and the original plan was to create 12 long-distance cycling routes.
Since August 2007, the ECF has assumed full responsibility for the project. Despite sometimes tight financial constraints, the EuroVelo project has already begun to fulfil the vision of its founders with sections of the network being implemented in countries as far apart as Finland, Cyprus, Spain and the UK. In addition, the EuroVelo brand has become widely known and is increasingly seen as a sign of quality.
There have been various changes to the network over the years, most notably the addition of two new routes --EuroVelo 13 (the Iron Curtain Trail) and EuroVelo 15 (the Rhine Cycle Route)-- in September 2011, which are the longest and shortest of the EuroVelo routes.
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Main points on the EuroVelo routes
Route information
EuroVelo 1 - Atlantic Coast Route
Stretching the length of the continent, from North Cape at the top of Scandinavia to the Algarve in Portugal, EV1 connects some of the world's most beautiful seascapes in Norway, Scotland, Ireland, Wales, the West Country of England, France, Spain and Portugal, with fjords, beaches and port towns.
EuroVelo 2 - Capitals Route
EV2 runs between Galway in Ireland to Moscow in Russia taking in all the capital cities along the way.
Between The Hague in the Netherlands and the German-Polish border, the EV2 follows the bicycle route called European Bicycle Route R1 or Euro-Route R1, an international long-distance cycling route connecting Boulogne-sur-Mer in France with St Petersburg in Russia.
EuroVelo 3 - Pilgrims Route
EV3 goes from Trondheim in Norway to Santiago de Compostela in Spain. The route follows traces of old roads used for pilgrimages in the Middle Ages. The route passes through Norway, Sweden, Denmark, Germany, Belgium, France and Spain. Most of these countries have a developed net of bicycle routes used as part of EV3.
EuroVelo 4 - Central Europe Route
EV4 takes in coastlines, medieval architecture, cities and history on its way from Roscoff, France to Kiev, Ukraine.
EuroVelo 5 - Via Romea Francigena
The EV5 route is inspired by the Via Francigena, a pilgrimage route from London to Rome first recorded by Archbishop of Canterbury Sigeric in the 10th century AD. However, the route of the true Via Francigena is an almost straight line path from London to Rome, while the EuroVelo 5 route takes a more easterly route that passes through Brussels, Luxembourg and Strasbourg in the Alsace. It then follows the Franco-German border, passes through Switzerland following Swiss National Bike Route no. 3, before crossing the Alps at the Gotthard Pass. It then passes through Italy (more closely following Sigeric's route) to Rome before continuing on to the Adriatic port city of Brindisi.
EuroVelo 6 - River Route
Running from Saint-Nazaire on the mouth of the River Loire along that river eastward through France, EV6 passes over the border to Switzerland to Lake Constance and then on to Tuttlingen in Germany, where it begins its way down the Danube following the Donauradweg (Danube Cycle Route). It follows that river, Europe's second longest, through Germany, Austria, Slovakia, Hungary, Serbia, Bulgaria and Romania to the river's mouth at the Danube Delta. It then continues southwards to end in Constan?a, on the Black Sea.
EuroVelo 7 - Sun Route
EV7 runs from the North Cape to Malta, will whisk you from the Arctic Circle in Norway, the land of the midnight sun, to island hopping in the Mediterranean.
EuroVelo 8 - Mediterranean Route
EV8 follows the European coastline of the Mediterranean sea from Cádiz in Spain to Athens in Greece before jumping to the island-nation of Cyprus.
EuroVelo 9 - Amber Route
EV9 (in Poland, also labeled as R9) stretches from the Baltic Sea to the Adriatic Sea. It is so named after the precious stone amber collected in the Baltic, which was taken by routes such as this to the Mediterranean. One of the shortest of the EuroVelo routes, EV9 still manages to cut across Europe from north to south, from Poland to Croatia, and in doing so passes through the Czech Republic, Austria and Slovenia en route.
EuroVelo 10 - Baltic Route
EV10 runs around Baltic Sea. Some of its parts are mapped on OpenStreetMap project [1]. On the state of the route there is an OpenStreetMap wiki page
EuroVelo 11 - East Europe Route
EV11 connects (theoretically) the Norway's North Cape with Athens.
EuroVelo 12 - North Sea Route
EV12 was the first European route, opened in June 2001, 6,000 km (3,700 mi) route through England, Scotland, Norway, Sweden, Denmark, Germany, the Netherlands and Belgium. It features in the Guinness Book of Records as the longest unbroken signposted cycling route. It was funded in part by the European Union's Interreg initiative.
EuroVelo 13 - Iron Curtain Trail
EuV13 follows the old Iron Curtain, the divided borders of Europe during the Cold War. The ICT runs from Kirkenes, Norway on the Barents Sea, along the Finno-Russian border through to the Baltic Sea, then hugs the length of the Baltic coast to Lübeck in Germany. It then follows the old border between West Germany and the former East Germany, the current borders between the Czech Republic and both Germany then Austria, the Austrian-Slovak and Austrian-Hungarian borders before following the borders of Romania, the former Yugoslavia, Bulgaria and Macedonia. It finishes at Rezovo in Bulgaria on the Black Sea after following the border with Greece and Turkey.
EuroVelo 15 - The Rhine Cycle Route
EV15, with an overall length of about 1,320 km (820 mi) passes through four countries from the headwaters of the Rhine in Andermatt in the Swiss Alps to the estuary in Rotterdam in the Netherlands, via France and Germany.
EuroVelo 17 - Rhone Cycle Route
EV17, with an overall length of about 1,100 km (680 mi) is the newest and the shortest EuroVelo route. It starts in Andermatt and runs along each side of Lake Geneva before crossing into France. Passing through Lyon and Avignon, it forks into sections which end in Montpellier and Marseille.
Requirements
The ECF has written a route development manual for those working on developing EuroVelo routes. According to the guidelines, all EuroVelo routes should fulfill the following criteria:
- They must be based on existing or planned national or regional routes of the involved countries.
- At least two countries must be involved.
- Route length must be at least 1,000 km (620 mi).
- Steep sections should be avoided wherever possible and for very steep sections (if unavoidable) alternative transport options (i.e. public transport or alternative routes) should be provided.
- Easy to communicate - internationally recognisable identity and name (marketing potential).
- Implementation plans in place (project plan, business plan, partners).
- Signing in accordance with the regulations of the respective nations and/or regions, continuous and in both directions.
- Signage supplemented by EuroVelo route information panels, in accordance with the recommendations of UNECE and the ECF's Signing of EuroVelo cycle routes manual.
Route infrastructure
The current share of route infrastructure components in the EuroVelo network is as follows:
- Bicycle path/lane: 14%
- Traffic-free asphalted road: 8%
- Traffic-free non-asphalted road: 6%
- Public low-traffic, asphalted road: 56%
- Public non-asphalted road: 3%
- Public high-traffic, asphalted road: 14%
Source of the article : Wikipedia
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