€7m investment in cycle routes announced

The Government has announced a €7m investment in cycle routes across the country.

Sixteen seperate projects will be build over the next two years, amounting to 334km of cycleway.

Projects type vary from the provision of a very extensive rural road based route in Donegal (from Donegal Town to Newtown Cunningham) to the development of a 6km Greenway along a disused rail line from Carlingford to Omeath in Louth.

The projects include routes along rural roads and former national roads, as well as routes along former rail lines and canal tow-paths.

"The routes will provide valuable transport and recreational infrastructure, with some of the routes having the potential to become tourism attractions in their own right," said Junior Transport Minister Alan Kelly.

The Government is hoping that the schemes can replicate the success of Mayo's Great Western Greenway, the longest off-road cycling and walking route in the country.

An estimated 140,000 trips are taken per annum along the route, which has led to the creation of 38 new full time equivalent jobs in the local area.

“This funding scheme represents a very significant investment in cycling," said Minister Kelly.

"Given the outstanding success of the Great Western Greenway I am certain that the investment will provide very welcome and long lasting economic benefits in the areas concerned.”

Read more: Projects granted funding under the scheme