In the Zlín Region, the most cycle paths in the Czech Republic were created last year

Zlín - In the Zlín Region, the most kilometers of bike paths in the Czech Republic were built last year. With a total length, the Zlín Region ranked second just behind Prague. This follows from the current statistics of the Centre for Transport Research of the Czech Republic.
    In the Zlín Region, 53 kilometers of bike paths were completed in 2009, while in the second region, Olomouc, there were 27 kilometers. Throughout the Czech Republic, 221 kilometers were built last year, so the Zlín Region accounts for nearly a quarter of this amount.
    According to the coordinator for the development of cycling transportation in the Czech Republic, Jaroslav Martinek from the Centre for Transport Research, the Zlín Region did not underestimate the opportunity for funding from the European Union's structural funds. "Unlike other regions, the municipalities here were able to well prepare projects with the support of the regional office in previous years, thanks to which they then succeeded in obtaining funds from the European Union and also from the State Fund for Transport Infrastructure with almost a hundred percent success rate," he stated.
    As of January 1 this year, cyclists in the Zlín Region had access to 166 kilometers of bike paths. The first Prague has only two kilometers more, while the recognized "cyclist paradise" of South Bohemia has roughly half the bike paths - about 89 kilometers. The network of bike paths in Eastern Moravia is significantly contributed to mainly by the main bike path along the Baťa Canal, which was ceremonially opened this April, and the Bečva Bike Path, some sections of which will still be completed this year or next year. However, a significant network of bike paths is also arising, for example, in the Slovácko region around Uherský Brod and in several smaller towns and municipalities in the region.
    "Bike paths provide opportunities for cycling trips in easy terrain, on quality surfaces, and moreover, maximally safely thanks to being routed away from regular traffic. This helps us attract target groups to Eastern Moravia who previously did not come to us for cycling and preferred, for example, South Bohemia," stated Dana Daňová, Director of the East Moravian Tourism Office.
    "Safe and quality bike paths also have other positive effects. They significantly influence the transport service of the region since local people use them for commuting to and from work, thus preferring them over car and public transport. Bike paths thus help change the lifestyle of urban residents and ways of spending leisure time in the city," added Jindřich Ondruš, Deputy Governor of the Zlín Region for tourism.