Paris to London cycle path plan unveiled

The Mayors of London and Paris, and the heads of the respective intervening counties have come together to unveil a planned cycle route between the two cities, crossing 'La Manche' by ferry between Newhaven and Dieppe.  Planned for completion by 2012 (will the French Olympic cycle team come to the new Velodrome in Stratford on their bikes perhaps?!) the 218 mile 'Green Avenue' will utilise roads, existing cycle paths, and stretches of a disused train line.


"We want to symbolically link the Tower of London to the Eiffel Tower with an alternative mode of transport to the car that crosses landscapes of great quality," said Didier Marie, head of France's Seine-Maritime department.

The press have been headlining about a 'London to Paris' cycle route, but I like to think of it as being the other way, in the hope that some of those chic everyday Parisian cyclists will wheel over here and bring some of their own estimable cycling style with them to the streets of London.


Of course, this is not a direct route and seems to meander through Redhill in Surrey via Seine Maritime in France before finally swinging into Paris, but it would certainly make for a nice holiday.  And, checking out the video I can almost smell the countryside!  I just hope that by the time the scheme is complete those visiting Parisians aren't so horrified by the state of inner city London's cycling infrastructure that they turn round and cycle back again as fast as they can.

Website

http://www.francobritishcycleplan.org/

Video on Green.tv

http://www.green.tv/avenue_verte