Pedal power with the cycle of nature in the Czech Republic
Cities and cycling are rarely comfortable with each other. But with the future of our planet at stake, there is a powerful groundswell of opinion to make European cities more cycle-friendly. If you don’t want to tango with traffic, pedal power on Europe’s expanding cycle network is the way to get around.
ÅF has supported the construction of a cycle route in the Czech Republic that plays a key role in the supra-regional cycling network. ÅF provided design, technical and author supervision services. The environmental demands were rigorous as the route passes through a nature reserve The Ploučnice project links the city of Děčín with Starý Šachov via a 17-kilometre rural cycle path. The project, carried out has been submitted for the Czech Ministry of Transport’s Construction & Technology Award because of its unique approach to environmental preservation during the design and construction phase and its implementation of a raft of eco-friendly features.
Four arterial cycle routes
The Ploučnice Cycle Route is one of four arterial cycle routes in the Ústí Region. Also known as the “Green Cycling Highway” it is a supra-regional route, linking the Ústí and Liberec Regions. ÅF has been involved in the part that starts in the city of Děčín in the Ústí Region and then follows the meandering valley of the River Ploučnice before terminating in the village of Starý Šachov.
Challenging terrain
The original cycle route pioneered by the Czech Tourists’ Club was restricted to a narrow riverside corridor. However, as the route has grown in importance, a decision was made to integrate it into the national network of long-distance cycle routes. Prior to the project the challenging terrain had meant that all but the most serious, experienced riders were more or less excluded from cycling along the track. Nor were there any alternative routes.