The 10.6-kilometer cycle path connecting the Little Balaton cycle path network with the Balaton Bringakör between Balatonberény, Balatonszentgyörgy and Vörs was handed over on Friday.
Máriusz Révész, Secretary of State for Active Hungary, said at the ceremony that according to the Eurobarometer survey, 59 percent of the population in Hungary self-reported not moving at all, compared to Finland, where this figure is only eight percent, and in the Czech Republic only 24 percent. He added that nine percent of deaths in this country can be directly attributed to a sedentary lifestyle, so it is important to create the opportunity to exercise for as many people as possible.
The state secretary announced that 5.6 kilometers of the 10.6 kilometer bike path between Balatonberény and Vörs was newly built, and the development was carried out within the framework of the Széchenyi 2020 Program, with HUF 470 million entirely from EU funds. Péter Horváth, deputy mayor of Balatonberény, recalled that the possibility of a bicycle path leading to Balatonszentgyörgy was first raised in 2014, and the village was awarded the title of Bicycle-friendly settlement in 2016. Local member of parliament Attila József Móring highlighted that not only the affected settlements, but also the entire Balaton region will benefit from the development, and he hopes that this will allow tourists on bikes to discover the surrounding exciting landscapes of Somogy.
László Nándor Farkas, the mayor of Balatonszentgyörgy, spoke about how the creation of the new bike path is not only important from the point of view of tourism, but also used by many people to go to work. Dezső Farkas, deputy mayor of Vörs, called today a historic moment in the life of the settlement, because so far only fanatical bikers have reached Vörs. From now on, however, you can bike even as far as the Buffalo Reserve in Kápolnapuszta in safe conditions – from Keszthely to Vörs all the way on asphalt, and from there on a high-quality gravel road. The bridge on the Vörs-Sávoly road section, which was completed last year, was built by the Water Administration, and one of the three rest stops was created by the Vörs municipality, the Hungarian Cycling Association (MKSZ), and the West Balaton Tourist Office, and MKSZ provided the costs of the road renovation.
MTI
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