The municipality of Midden-Drenthe wants to improve the bicycle routes in the municipality in the coming years. New cycle paths will be built and the existing ones will be refurbished. In places where cyclists and cars share the road, the speed limit will be reduced.
Safety is paramount in the new bicycle plan Op Fietse Midden-Drenthe, which contains the plans until 2035. That is why municipal roads outside built-up areas are being made more bicycle-friendly. The maximum speed on roads will be reduced from 80 to 60 kilometers per hour. 60 roads that are often driven too fast will be designed in such a way that motorists do not press the gas as deeply.
As far as the municipality is concerned, speed devils on bicycles should be given more space to continue cycling on so-called cycle routes. These are wider cycle paths between larger towns where greater distances are bridged, especially on speed pedelecs and e-bikes. The cycle routes in Central Drenthe are part of a Drenthe network of these cycle highways. The Assen-Hoogeveen (which connects to Assen-Groningen), Appelscha-Emmen and Assen-Meppel routes run through the municipality.
Cycle routes already exist in Central Drenthe, but the desire is to connect the individual parts. The most expensive part is the construction of the 9 kilometer long cycle path between Hoogersmilde and Beilen. Although the new Bicycle Plan still has to be incorporated into concrete implementation plans, Midden-Drenthe estimates the costs of this path to be between 3.3 and 7.1 million euros. The missing parts in the Beilen-Hooghalen-Assen route (2 kilometers) are expected to cost 9 tons. Between Westerbork and Emmen, the missing part from Orvelte to the municipal border with Coevorden costs a million euros.
In addition to extra kilometers of cycle path for fast cyclists, there are also many other routes on the wish list of the municipality. The aim is to be able to reach schools, sports facilities and playgrounds safely by bicycle. Central Drenthe, for example, wants a cycle path from Witteveen to Hoogeveen, via Nieuw Balinge (cost: 4.5 million) and a connection between Drijber and Wijster.
There is also attention for recreational routes. Tourist hotspots such as the VAM mountain, the Orvelte museum village and the Herrinniringscentrum Kamp Westerbok must be connected.