Overview
In 2009, the European Parliament asked the Commission and the Member States to consider the EuroVelo- Network and Iron Curtain Trail as an opportunity for promoting European trans-border cycling infrastructure networks, supporting soft mobility and sustainable tourism.
The European Commission organised workshops to raise awareness of the ICT and awarded grants to preparatory projects to define the itinerary and develop overview action plans partly covering the SEE region. The current project is the result of this preparatory work, and fully supports the general goals of the SEE transnational programme, its third priority and improves the coordination in promoting, planning and operation for primary and secondary transportation networks.
The main goals of the project are to:
- improve the accessibility of the SEE region by bicycle
- to connect European regions by a long distance cycle route
- to realise opportunities for cycling and public transport connections
- to promote cycling as a means of sustainable mobility and tourism
- to exchange experiences and raise awareness of cycling and public transport (PT) related developments.
Activities:
- WP1. Project management.
- WP2. Project communication and dissemination
- WP3. Analysis and planning; Best Practices; Complete the survey of the route and the detailed transnational action plan; Feasibility study and pilot actions to improve the combined (cycling and PT) services and the route conditions.
- WP4. Development of sustainable mobility offers and connecting pilot activities (e.g. signposting, cycling friendly service providers' networks).
- WP5. Promotion and external communication; Marketing and communication plan; Development of regional soft tourism and mobility portals; Printed promotion tools and campaigns, promotional events.
- WP6. Exchange of experiences, know-how transfer; Organise the sustainable management of the route; Training events and study tours for stakeholders; Monitoring manual and evaluation of the project results; Intergation of cycling into regional / national policies, strategies, generation of new projects.
Partnership: The West Transdanubian Regional Development Agency from Hungary leads the project, which involves 5 further RDA from Austria, Hungary, Slovenia, Bulgaria, Macedonia FYROM and 8 NGO`s from Slovakia, Croatia, Serbia, Hungary, Bulgaria, Greece as beneficiaries (involving further regional and local authorities).