Germany Opening 62-Mile Car-Free Bicycle Highway To Connect Ten Cities

Oct 21, 2019 by apost team

Germany has long held a reputation of being a bicycle-friendly country, and now that mindset has been taken to extremes! The country recently opened the first section of a 62-mile highway that will be 100% free of cars. The only modes of transport that will be allowed on it are bicycles and feet.

The intent behind this road is to connect 10 cities and four universities and take tens of thousands of vehicles off of the roads to reduce air pollution in the area. Some of the cities that will be connected by the finished road include Bochum, Hamm, and Duisburg. The latter community is 17 miles north of Düsseldorf and 45 miles north of Cologne, and all are near the country's borders with Belgium and the Netherlands. A 3-mile stretch connects Essen with Mulheim, the latter of which is situated 8 miles east of Duisburg.

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Fast Company reports that according to a report by the country's Ministry of Transport, up to 52,000 car journeys can be alleviated from the bike highway. What's more is that the health benefits of active cycling can help ease healthcare costs that would be equivalent to five times the cost of the highway's construction.

If a bicycle highway opened near you, would you consider using it and no longer driving? Why or why not?