"Amazing Kazan" cycling route wins a $15 million ruble federal grant

(Kazan, KZN.RU, February 21, by Zilya Gayfi). The "Amazing Kazan" cycling route won a grant in the amount of 15 million rubles in the All-Russian competition of the Ministry of Culture of Russia, said Evgenia Lodvigova, the chairperson of the Committee for the Promotion of Tourism of the Kazan Executive Committee, at today's Business Monday meeting.

The All-Russian competition of cycling and walking routes was aimed at promoting the cultural and historical heritage of Russian cities. "178 projects from the country's 65 regions were submitted to the competition. The "Amazing Kazan" route was one of the six winners, along with the projects submitted by the Republic of Karelia, Republic of Adygea, Crimea, Kaluga and Kemerovo regions. This was an unprecedented victory for Kazan, since it won a federal tourism grant for the first time. The bike route was designed with consideration for the urban landscape, safety requirements for cyclists and pedestrians and the preservation of green areas. The route covers a large number of cultural and historical sites of Kazan," said Evgenia Lodvigova.

Note that the "Amazing Kazan" tour will serve as the basis of the "Kazan Cycle Night-2015," which will be devoted to aquatic topics this year and will run along the river Kazanka and Lake Kaban waterfronts.

According to Evgenia Lodvigova, a 15 million ruble grant will be allocated to the project from the federal budget. The city authorities will have to shoulder the responsibility of laying bicycle paths, creating a mobile application in three languages,  providing bicycle parking stands and other facilities.

Ilsur Metshin noted that the victory in the competition was another important step in building a bicycle route network. " We have been asked to build an urban bicycle path for a number of years. The waterfront reconstruction will be completed soon, and Gorky Park is about to open. I am sure that these areas will immediately become popular with cyclists. Besides, we hope that the number of bike rentals will increase this year," said the mayor. He also noted the importance of the Cycle Night in attracting participants and helping locals and visitors get better acquainted with the sights, cultural riches and history of Kazan, and instructed the Committee for the Promotion of Tourism to organize work with sponsors.