Highways for cyclists, here is what and where they are

There are some countries that are promoting the use of bicycles by building highways for cyclists. Here are five places where these are being constructed.

The concept of highways for bicycles was introduced in the Netherlands and Denmark. London announced to build a cycle superhighway to help reduce car traffic. These are also slowly spreading in a few German cities: Frankfurt is planning to build a stretch of 30 km, Munich a stretch of 15 km to pass through the northern districts. And Nuremberg and Berlin are planning to build highways for cyclists as well.

 

cycle highways ruhr germany
The highway for cyclists in the Ruhr, Essen suburbs / Mülheim. Foto © Eigenes Werk

 

Let’s see which cities in the world have decided to invest in cycle superhighways and promote sustainable mobility even for travelling medium-long distances.

 

Highway for cyclists in Germany

For the time being, German cities’ cycling lanes are narrow, some of them head to a dead end or a bus only lane. The new cycling routes are 3.6 metres wide, have overtaking lanes, overpasses and underpasses to avoid that a cyclist bumps into a car or a motorbike.

The RS1 (RS stands for Radschnellweg, literally, fast cycle road) is a 100 km-long superhighway located in the Ruhr district, where once the metallurgical industry played the most important role, while now it is tourism and the environment that are key to the region’s development. Of the 100 km of highway, five have already been built in Mülheim.

UK: here come the superhighways

London wants to be on top of the other countries of Northern Europe as for cycling facilities. The Mayor opted for a billion euro investment for two bike highways that will connect the east-west to the north-south route. The longest distance is 30 km.

 

South Korea, bicycles travelling in motorways

The Asian country has taken the idea of “cycling highway” so seriously that it built a 30 km long cycle route exactly in the middle of a motorway. This solution fuelled an argument but has also demonstrated that it is possible to create a solar road by paving the cycling lane with photovoltaic panels that produce energy.

 

The cycle superhighway in Denmark

It is called bike-bahn and it is distinguishable for its orange sides. It is a 22 km cycle road connecting the capital Copenhagen to Albertslund and was designed to reduce road intersections and stops so much that there are traffic lights timed to the average bike riding speed. Another 300 km of new highways for cyclists are also under construction in the country.

 

The Netherlands, on top of the situation

The Netherlands should be taken as an example as for cycling facilities. Indeed the country surprised us with the tunnel for pedestrians and cyclists heading to the Amsterdam Central Station. And there are other projects for building high-speed cycle routes including the Fietssnelweg F35, that is a 60 km long route currently under construction in the Twente eastern region, on the border with Germany.

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