June 11, Minsk /BELTA/. The European cycling route EuroVelo-2, named the "Capitals Route", will pass through Belarus, as reported to BELTA by the EuroVelo project coordinator in Belarus, Alexander Nakhayko.
June 11, Minsk /BELTA/. The European cycling route EuroVelo-2, named the "Capitals Route", will pass through Belarus, as reported to BELTA by the EuroVelo project coordinator in Belarus, Alexander Nakhayko.
The length of the route in Belarus will be about 600 km. The "Minsk Cycling Society" NGO is developing it. Part of the route has already been surveyed. It is known that it will start in the Białowieża Forest at the "Pererov" border crossing, pass through the settlements of Zelva, Dyatlovo, Novogrudok, Ivyanets, Rakov, Zaslavl, go through Minsk, and end in the village of Lyady in the Dubrovno district.
The development of the route is planned to be completed this year. Concurrently, work is underway to install signs and pointers. As noted by Alexander Nakhayko, the European federation has high requirements for the route's roads. The routes must pass through city centres, and at least 75% of the roads must be asphalted. The route can only be laid along carriageways where the traffic density does not exceed 1,000 vehicles per day, and the majority of the route must allow two cyclists to ride side by side. Additionally, catering facilities must be located no less than every 30 km, and accommodation facilities no less than every 50 km. According to the project coordinator, when developing the route in Belarus, efforts were made to maximise the use of existing cycling infrastructure.
The EuroVelo-2 route is part of a large-scale project by the European Cyclists' Federation to develop the EuroVelo network of cycle routes. EuroVelo-2 will start in the Irish city of Galway, pass through Dublin (Ireland), Bristol, London (United Kingdom), then cyclists will cross by ferry to The Hague (Netherlands), followed by Münster, Wittenberg, Berlin (Germany), Poznań, Warsaw (Poland), Minsk, as well as Smolensk and Moscow.
Alexander Nakhayko noted that the local routes are oriented not only towards international tourists but also towards local residents making cycling trips. People using the EuroVelo-2 route will be able to explore the unique nature of Belarus, as this aspect of active recreation was also taken into account during the route's development.
Currently, 14 routes have been developed within the EuroVelo network. The network is planned to be completed by 2020.-0-