Britain Opens First Phase of Bike Network

Using about $70 million from its National Lottery funds, Britain is betting that a new National Cycle Network will attract tourists and make traveling safer for local bicyclists too.

The first phase of the network, which will ultimately crisscross Britain with bicycle routes stretching from Dover in southeast England to Inverness in northern Scotland, opened in June. More than 3,500 miles are completed; a total of 10,000 miles are slated to be in place by 2005.

About half the routes are off-road, using railroad rights of way and other surfaces. The rest are on lightly traveled roads. Among the routes already open are 288 miles from north to south in Wales; 425 miles from Inverness to Carlisle in northern England; and 140 miles linking the Irish Sea to the North Sea across the Pennine Hills.

An added bonus is sculpture and other art scattered along the paths and incorporated into tunnels and other structures, prompting some to call the network Britain’s biggest public art venue.

Maps of the new network and other information can be obtained from the National Cycle Network, telephone 011-44-117-929-0888, Internet https://www.sustrans.org.uk. The British Tourist Authority also offers a free guide called “Britain for Cyclists”; call (800) 462-2748.