Good practice:

The Ruhr Valley Cycle Path - RuhrtalRadweg

The RVCP was officially opened in 2006 and is one of the primary German riverside cycle paths. It passes through North Rhine-Westphalia, runs along the Ruhr River from its source in Winterberg to the confluence with the Rhine River in Duisburg. The 230-kilometre route (elevation profile: approx. 650m - source 666m, confluence 17m above sea level) is characterized by a relevant natural and historical heritage: forests, heathland, mountains, many traces of the industrial era, which are symbolic of the development and history of the region. Along the way, there are interesting sites: the medieval town centre in Arnsberg, the Mutten Valley, industrial heritage sites like the Nightingale mine in Witten, Lake Baldeney, the Villa Hügel in Essen and the redeveloped Duisburg Inner Harbour. Cycle-tourism offers can also count on canoe, ferry and railbus excursions. The RVCP is a mainly river-accompanying cycle path, largely car-free on separately managed cycle paths and farm paths: about 50% on separate cycle paths, about 30% on forest roads and inner-local secondary roads, about 15% on main roads with cycle traffic facilities. Sections at risk of flooding are signposted with a flood bypass. The cycle path has uniform signs with place and kilometre information. In the former industrial landscape of the Ruhr region, an attractive network of cycle paths and the ecological redevelopment of large forest areas have led to a significant territorial image improvement.

- Contributions of 31 cooperation partners (2006-2016): €890,000
- Marketing economic contributions of businesses partners (2006-2016): €540,000
- Sponsorship economic contributions (2006-2016): €85,000
Source: RuhrtalRadweg Dokumentation 10 Jahre, https://www.ruhrtalradweg.de/en

- Since 2010: certified as a “4-star quality cycling route” by the German Cyclists’ Association (ADFC);
- 2006-2011: up to 40% increase in turnover for businesses along the route;
- More than 250,000 visitors to website and over 6,500 Facebook fans (2016);
- Tourism gross turnover: 29.1 mil € (2016) vs. 26.9 mil € (2011)
Source: RuhrtalRadweg Dokumentation 10 Jahre, https://www.ruhrtalradweg.de/en.

The main challenge has been to involve stakeholders with different public and private interests, (regional authorities, tourism associations, hospitality businesses, recreational institutions), by creating cooperation and geographical networking-based working groups.

The project includes a working group for infrastructure (routing, certificates, construction, signposting - one meeting per year), led by Regionalverband Ruhr, and a working group for marketing (concepts, basic decisions, applied marketing - two meetings per year), led by Ruhr Tourismus GmbH. Working groups also include 23 municipalities and 5 districts and business partners, including, inter alia, 85 hotels and guest houses, 8 youth hostels and group accommodations, 17 bicycle service businesses, 10 tour operators, 15 camper sites. In support of marketing, there is a website in three languages which provides users with current route information: e-bike charging stations’ locations, bicycle rental & luggage transfer services, bike repair services, cycle tours planning, accommodation and gastronomy companies. The cycle path and bicycle-friendly hosts along it that meet specific high-quality criteria have been certified by the German Cyclists’ Association (ADFC).