The Consortium of the Greenways of Girona, The General Council of the Eastern Pyrenees, and the Conseil de Développement du Pays Pyrénées-Mediterrané have formally presented the joint work of the three organisations for the development of the Enllaç [Link] project: a bike network of 366 kilometres which will link the region of Girona with the Catalan speaking part of France, promoting sustainable tourist mobility and reinforcing the links between the two territories.

Representatives of the three project members, Mr. Josep M. Rufí i Pagès, President of the Consortium of the Greenways of Girona, Mr. Christian Bourquin, President of the General Council of the Eastern Pyrenees, and Mr. Francis Manent, President of the Conseil de Développement du Pays Pyrénées-Mediterrané, accompanied by Mr. Enric Vilert i Butjosa, President of the Girona County Council, provided an outline of the details of this ambitious collaboration in which technical road construction methods will be shared, existing networks of each territory will be connected, and a joint system of signs will be created. Joint promotion will also be carried out as well as dissemination activities.

New layouts in Girona
In Girona, the Consortium already has the first layout studies: the adaptation of a route between Torrent and Sant Feliu de Boada, the first step to connect the town of Palafrugell with Le Boulou (France). A road of almost 2,500 metres that will connect an urban route of Torrent, rural roads of Torrent, Palau-Sator and Sant Feliu de Boada. The study has now been released to the public and approved accordingly. In order to be able to develop the whole project, the process of recruiting a project manager and administrative assistant has also been started.

Among the initial tasks carried out, last June the Consortium manager, Mr. Emili Mató, attended a meeting of the European Long Distance Cycle Route Network, “Eurovelo”, held in Copenhagen, where he requested that the European route number 2, which follows the Mediterranean coast from Greece to the south of Portugal, be as closely synchronised as possible with the layout of the Enllaç [Link] project.

It is worth highlighting that the link will be composed of the existing Greenways network, some 150 km between the actual layout and that which is under construction, 100 km of bike routes and Greenways in France, 35 km in Ripollès, 55 in the Alt Empordà and 30 in the Baix Empordà, approximately. Where there is no bike route network, roads with low traffic intensity will be adapted, lanes will be segregated, or safe spaces will be created.

The total cost of the project is almost 1,650,000 Euros, with 65% financed by the European POCTEFA programme, which is to say 1,072,000 Euros. The rest is contributed by the three members: 332,000 Euros from the Consortium, with the special collaboration of the Departament de Governació de la Generalitat de Catalunya, the County Council of Girona and the County Councils of the Alt Empordà, Baix Empordà and Ripollès; 226.000 Euros from the General Council of the Eastern Pyrenees and 19,000 Euros from the Pays Pyrénés Méditerranée.