“The government is handling the development of cycling infrastructure as a priority, and the goal is for the total length of cycle paths in Hungary to reach 15 thousand kilometres by 2030”, Minister of Foreign Affairs and Trade Péter Szijjártó said at the official inauguration of the new cycling path between Biri and Balkány on Wednesday.

“This three-kilometre cycling path constructed between Biri and Balkány, which was realised at a cost of 365 million forints (EUR 1 million) and the help of 284 million forints (EUR 800 million) in state funding, also represents another step forward”, Mr. Szijjártó added. According to the Minister, the new investment will serve the comfort of cycling tourists visiting the area, while making it easier and safer for local residents to reach the suburbs of Biri and Balkány, for instance also in the interests of performing agricultural work.

Mr. Szijjártó said 1500 kilometres of cycling path have been developed since 2010, and together with the projects that are in progress and about to be completed a total of over 6000 kilometres of cycling path will soon be available to cyclists in Hungary. “This is also important because cycling has gained new momentum in Hungary in view of the coronavirus epidemic, since if people wanted to stay in the fresh air while conforming to the restrictions introduced because of the epidemic, and while maintaining social distancing, then cycling was the most obvious solution”, he explained.

The Minister pointed out that in the Netherlands three quarters of children now go to school by bicycle, and although “we Hungarians are not yet at this level” we are still doing very well in view of the fact that within the European Union the largest proportion of people use their bicycles in Hungary, following the Netherlands and Denmark. “The more cycle paths are built, the more we will be able to do in the interests of our health, the more we will be able to move, and the more we will be able to reduce air pollution”, Mr. Szijjártó declared.

(Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Trade / MTI)