City of Berlin agrees expansion of bicycle network to 3,000 kilometres

The city of Berlin has approved a plan to expand its bicycle route network to a total of 3,000 kilometres, Tagesspiegel reports. "We will increase the proportion of environmentally friendly, climate-friendly, and city-friendly cycling by making cycling attractive and safe - even over longer distances," said transport senator Regine Günther, a member of the Green Party. The city government is aiming to increase the share of bicycle traffic in the capital to 23 percent by 2030, up from 18 percent in 2018. The city agreed on a cycling network measuring 2,371 kilometres in total. Of these, 865 kilometres form a priority network on the most important connections for cyclists. Additionally, the plan will create 550 kilometres of new cycling paths on main roads that are not part of the network, and 100 kilometers of high-speed bike connections, for a total of 3,000 kilometres of city bike lanes.

At the federal level, the German government announced plans earlier this year to double the number of bicycle users by the end of the decade and increase the total distance covered by cyclists in Germany each day from 112 million kilometres in 2017 to 224 kilometres by 2030.