AEVV : Association Européenne des Voies vertes

(Translated from “Le RAVeL: de la Wallonie à l’Europe” par Anne Daubechies, dans Cahiers de l’Urbanisme, n°64, juin 2007, pp 76-78)

From the RAVeL to the greenways

In Wallonia, the RAVeL network intended for non-motorised users is formed from old infrastructures which have found a new purpose in life: towpaths along the regional inland waterways, canals around some water extraction points, disused railway lines, including both those used previously by trains and trams (1)

The term RAVeL is referred to as “greenways” abroad, a concept officially recognised at European level.

Since the “greenway” is gaining ground in Europe, many Member States have decided to pool their know-how and to create a network of greenways throughout Europe. INTERREG programming emerged as the unifying tool for these Member States.

REVER NWMA (for "North West Metropolitan Area) – REVER MED

In October 1999, REVER NWMA (2) was approved by the Programming Committee of the INTERREG IIC NWMA programme and brings together six partners: the Walloon Region as lead partner, the Brussels-Capital Region, France, Luxembourg, Ireland and the

United Kingdom

· to initiate some joint and coherent thinking and pool know-how in the area of mobility and greenway network development. A master plan was drawn up at NWMA level (fig 1) and a joint definition of the greenway was approved on 12 September 2000 in Lille.

"Communication routes reserved exclusively for non-motorised journeys, developed in an integrated manner which enhances both the environment and quality of life of the surrounding area. These routes should meet satisfactory standards of width, gradient, and surface condition to ensure that they are both user-friendly and low -risk for users of all abilities”;

· to set up experience exchange networks through the organisation of a symposium in September 2000 and four round tables that brought together many partners;

· to promote and develop a real transnational network of greenways. Four long-distance transnational routes were identified:

In 2007, it may be considered that the NWMA project made it possible to raise awareness among public authorities of the potential that greenways represent, to intensify the greenway phenomenon and, through its international character, to make credible the initiatives that had emerged here and there at local level.

This phenomenon is particularly real in

France

where the Réseau Ferré de France (railtrack network) and the Voies Navigables de France (inland waterways) have changed their policy in favour of greenways. Each Region, on the basis of the “véloroutes” (cycle routes) and greenways plan, has adopted a regional plan, which is in the implementation phase. The Walloon Region is taking an active part in the implementation of the Nord-Pas-de Calais regional plan while drawing attention to some important points and to the investments to be made to interconnect the Walloon network to the French network.

Three years after the REVER NWMA project, in October 2002, the REVER MED (4)project was approved by the programming committee of the INTERREG IIIB MEDOC programme. Its primary objective was to complete and ensure continuity in Portugal, Spain, Italy and

France

with the master plan (fig 2) drawn up by the REVER NWMA project. This was to be achieved by setting up the backbone of an autonomous transport network for non-motorised journeys of more than 10,000 km, mainly composed of greenways along the coastal areas with significant incursions into the hinterland regions of the MED area.

The second objective is to encourage experience exchange between the territorial management authorities, such as national governments, Regions, associations and the private sector having already developed know-how in the area of transport, soft mobility and greenways.

This project made it possible to study specific issues related to the characteristics of the regions involved such as the topography and orography, problems related to the pressure exerted by tourism or train/bicycle complementarity and intermodality together with other matters connected with the different legal situations of the countries and regions.

The REVER NWMA and REVER MED projects were both coordinated by the European Greenways Association (5) which made it possible to ensure the exchange of information and the necessary continuity between the two projects. In addition to its role as a coordinator of European projects, the European Greenways Association, whose registered office is located in Namur with branch offices in Spain, Italy and the

Czech Republic

· contributes to the preservation of infrastructures such as disused railway lines, towpaths and cultural routes (Roman roads, pilgrimage ways, etc.) so as to develop them as autonomous routes reserved for non-motorised traffic and to protect public property,

· encourages non-motorised transport, draws up inventories of potential routes and drafts technical reports,

· promotes and coordinates the exchange of skills and information between the different associations and the national and local bodies that develop similar initiatives in Europe,

· informs and advises national and local bodies about the means to be implemented to develop such thoroughfares for non-motorised traffic,

· works together with European authorities to support their policies regarding sustainable development, environment and employment.

Within the scope of its previously described objectives, the Association will soon be making a European greenways observatory available to the general public, which will list all the existing greenways in Europe. It will make it possible to prepare journeys, with possibilities of continuous, long-distance routes.

Every two years, in partnership with the European Commission, it also coordinates the European greenways prize. In 2007, Spain will host, after

France

, the organisation of this prize.

En 1994, the European Cyclists Federation (ECF) set itself the objective of defining a cycle route network throughout Europe, called EUROVELO. That network would be composed of 12 thematic cycle routes (fig 3) crossing the European continent from east to west and north to south, and connecting the European countries among them over a linear distance of more than 60,000 km. That project quickly obtained the European Commission’s support. A first cycle route was created around the North Sea with the support of European funding in the framework of the Interreg programme. At the present time, the European Rivers Cycle Route (6) connecting Nantes to Budapest, is currently being completed thanks to FEDER Interreg IIIB funding.

Wallonia is also fully interested by this project. In actual fact, two cycle routes cross right through the Region:

· route No. 3: Paris – Aix-la-Chapelle composed of the Sambre river towpath from Erquelinnes to Namur, the Meuse river towpath from Namur to Liège together with the disused Belgian (SNCB) railway lines No. 38 and 39 from Liège to Gemmenich,

· Route No. 5: London-Strasbourg via a maximum of available RAVeL routes if there are no quiet rural ways or local thoroughfares, mainly between Namur and Brussels, Jemelle and Tenneville.

The aim of EuroVelo is twofold: to encourage the bicycle as a means of transport and to promote cycle tourism throughout Europe.

Different kinds of European funding have made it possible for the RAVeL network to cross our borders and to continue beyond. Let us bet that the new 2006-2013 programming will make it possible for us to go further.

(1) Le programme RAVeL, une infrastructure pour une autre mobilité" par Anne Daubechies et Luc Maréchal, dans Cahiers de l’Urbanisme, n°27, décembre 1999, pp 54-60

(2) "Un réseau de voies vertes pour l’Europe" par Anne Daubechies, dans Cahiers de l’Urbanisme, n° 40-41, septembre 2002, pp 58-63

(3) http://mrw.wallonie.be/DGATLP/DGATLP/Pages/DAU/Pages/RAVeL/RAVeL02.asp

(4) www.revermed.com

(5) www.aevv-egwa.org

(6) www.eurovéloroute.com