PLANS FOR a 2,000km national network of cycle paths connecting cities and major town across the Republic have been drafted by the National Roads Authority.
Work on a detailed route for the first “interurban” cycle path from Dublin to Galway began recently and is due to be completed by the end of the year.
The authority has mapped out 13 route “corridors” serving the cities of Dublin, Cork, Waterford, Limerick and Galway, and almost 100 large towns which will make up the National Cycle Network.
The routes pass through all of the 26 counties except Longford and vary in length from 52km (Drogheda to Trim) to 286km (Wexford to Tralee).
Local authorities along the routes have identified almost 500km of potential off-road cycle routes, which are physically separated from the road by a grass verge or other barrier.
