The number of cyclists has grown dynamically during the summer season around the great lakes

According to Monday's information sent to MTI, this summer, similarly to previous years, Magyar Közút once again collected data on cycling tourists by manual and machine counting.

Lake Velence, Lake Balaton and Lake Tisza also saw an almost twofold increase in the number of cyclists compared to last season. The biggest winner was Lake Venice, probably due to the possibility of a round trip that is easy for families with small children. The result of the Balaton count showed an increase of 85 percent, Lake Tisza 65 percent, while 15 percent more people rode bicycles in Lake Neusiedl in the summer, according to the data.

Highlight: In 2020, with the completion of the missing part of the lake circle, Lake Tisza became the new cycling paradise, with more than 70,000 cyclists crossing the bridges handed over in June. In July and August last year, 18,000 cyclists were counted in Kiskör, and more than 40,000 during the same period this year. The missing section between Poroszló and Tiszafüred had an extremely positive effect on the cycling traffic of the entire Lake Tisza. It was noted that since 2016, the number of cyclists around Lake Tisza has increased 5.5 times due to the development of the network and the dampening of car traffic on the dam crown.

The development of cycling routes will continue to follow the network logic: the aim is to create tourist-interpretable, interconnected networks that will attract even more cycling tourists, either within borders or from abroad, by developing the right service. This is how the section of Eurovelo 14 from Szentgotthárd to Lake Velence was designated this year, and Eurovelo 6 between Szentendre and Budapest was completed, and the missing section of Eurovelo 6 between Dunakeszi and Budapest is already being built on the other side of the Danube. The completion of the missing links in the networks can increase the tourist attractiveness of a region by leaps and bounds, as the case of Lake Tisza shows.

The announcement reminds that two years ago, Magyar Közút Nonprofit Zrt. Took over the management of more than a thousand kilometers of outdoor cycle paths, and received additional government funding for this task. This year, in addition to the operational works, renovations were carried out on the cycle path around Lake Balaton and Lake Neusiedl, among others. In connection with the bicycle paths, Magyar Közút carried out a significant fleet development: last year 15 special tractors and the corresponding winter-summer adapters were acquired, which was expanded this year with another 5 tractors equipped with winter and summer adapters.

Proper maintenance of newly built and already built bike paths has greatly contributed to the success of the summer tourist season, they wrote. The AÖFK launched an active regional tourism campaign for the first time this year, the most important element of which was the presentation of the cycling developments on Lake Tisza, which will be continued during the autumn with the presentation of regional attractions and lesser-known hiking trails.

(Source: marmalade.co.hu; MTI | Image: pixabay.com)