In the last twenty years there has been an explosion of activity to create national and international cycling networks such as the creation of La Route Verte and Britain’s National Cycle Network. This week, a few highlights from this growing route network trend, including the emerging plan for a U.S. Bicycle Route System. First time visitor to this site?

LA ROUTE VERTE
La Route Verte is a 4,000-kilometer bike network, across the Province of Québec, which was officially open in August of 2007. This incredible effort was realized through strong partnerships between the Velo Québec Association, the Ministry of Transportation, the Quebec provincial government, and many regional partners. Velo Québec hopes that La Route Verte will create a seamless experience for cyclists as they travel between urbarn-suburban-rural locations throughout Québec. Learn more.

SUSTRANS' SUCCESS
Sustrans is a non-profit organization in the United Kingdom dedicated to sustainable transportation. They have dreamed big and won the support of a wide range of Brits including Prince Charles. With strong public support, the National Cycle Network route grew from 4,000 to 8,000 miles in about 8 years. According to their website, "[T]he National Cycle Network, is now around 12,000 miles and runs within one mile of over half the UK population. During 2006, over 338 million trips were made on the Network." Learn more.

A U.S. BICYCLE ROUTE SYSTEM
An official U.S. Bicycle Route System (USBRS) could help make the United States' cycling infrastructure more competitive with these other expansive route networks. Given the sheer size of the U.S., the USBRS could become the largest cycling network in the world. Adventure Cycling Association and several other organizations have teamed up with AASHTO (American Association of State Highway Transportation Officials) to develop a such system. With staff support from Adventure Cycling, AASHTO's Task Force on U.S. Bicycle Routes has developed a corridor-level plan and designation system, which are now immersed in AASHTO's review process. Similar to La Route Verte, the vision of the USBRS is to create a seamless rural-suburban-urban cycling experience. More about the USBRS.

INTERESTING VARIATION - THE SWITZERLAND MODEL
According to their website, "SwitzerlandMobility is the national network for non-motorized traffic, in particular for leisure and tourism." Talk about integration! This system goes way beyond the bicycle, and according to Adventure Travel News, it features "more than 100,000 signposts, 20,000 kilometers of interconnected hiking, cycling, inline skating, canoeing and mountain bike trails, and accessibility from more than 18,000 different stops on Switzerland’s public transport network." More.

2009 GUIDED TOURS
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For the first time, we are offering early registration for our cross-country tours, TransAmerica, TransAmerica - Supported, Southern Tier - Spring, and Southern Tier - Fall, as well as a few of our early season events. The full tours roster - all 43 fantastic trips - will be available in early November, but you can sign up now for one (or more!) of the 2009 cross-country or early season events. Learn more about 2009 Tours.