RAVeL or in (in ) is a Walloon initiative aimed at creating a network of itineraries reserved for pedestrians, cyclists, horse riders and people with reduced mobility, initiated at the end of the

1980s File:1980s replacement montage02.PNG, 420px, From left, clockwise: The first Space Shuttle, ''Columbia'', lifts off in 1981; US president Ronald Reagan and Soviet leader Mikhail Gorbachev ease tensions between the two superpowers, leading to the ...

and connecting major cities and secondary municipalities of Wallonia through over of pathways. The network makes use of towpaths on river banks and disused

railway Rail transport (also known as train transport) is a means of transport that transfers passengers and goods on wheeled vehicles running on rails, which are incorporated in tracks. In contrast to road transport, where the vehicles run on a pre ...

or vicinal tramway lines. Old railway lines have been leased by the Government of Wallonia for 99 years using

emphyteutic lease An emphyteutic lease is a type of real estate contract specifying that the lessee must improve the property with construction. The term is commonly used in Quebec and France. These sorts of leases are usually associated with government properties. ...

contracts. Where necessary, new paths are created to link independent parts of the network together.

History

Before

World War II World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great powers—forming two opposing ...

Belgium Belgium, ; french: Belgique ; german: Belgien officially the Kingdom of Belgium, is a country in Northwestern Europe. The country is bordered by the Netherlands to the north, Germany to the east, Luxembourg to the southeast, France to th ...

had the world's densest railway network, with around of railway and vicinal tramway tracks. Large parts of this network were disused after the war, with the development of road infrastructure and the preference for private cars. Concurrently, towing paths along rivers were made obsolete by new, motorized boats. In 1977, the Belgian Ministry of Public Works bought a large section of former SNCB line 142 between

Hoegaarden Hoegaarden () is a municipality in the province of Flemish Brabant, in Flanders, one of the three regions of Belgium. The municipality comprises the villages of Hoegaarden proper, Meldert and Outgaarden. On January 1, 2006, Hoegaarden had a tota ...

and Eghezée, and converted a first section (in

Jodoigne Jodoigne (,As if it were spelled ''Jodogne''; is considered erroneous. nl, Geldenaken ; wa, Djodogne) is a city and municipality of Wallonia located in the province of Walloon Brabant, Belgium. On January 1, 2006, Jodoigne had a total populati ...

) into a pedestrian/cyclist path in 1985. During the same period, other similar conversions of old railway lines are carried out in various parts of Belgium. The RAVeL project was initiated in 1995 and the first section opened in 1996, between

Rochefort Rochefort () may refer to: Places France * Rochefort, Charente-Maritime, in the Charente-Maritime department ** Arsenal de Rochefort, a former naval base and dockyard * Rochefort, Savoie in the Savoie department * Rochefort-du-Gard, in the Ga ...

and Villers-sur-Lesse. The project has the benefit of coordinating the various conversions to form a coherent,

Wallonia Wallonia (; french: Wallonie ), or ; nl, Wallonië ; wa, Waloneye or officially the Walloon Region (french: link=no, Région wallonne),; nl, link=no, Waals gewest; wa, link=no, Redjon walone is one of the three regions of Belgium—alo ...

wide network. A 4 December 1997 ministerial order, aimed at classifying Walloon public roads into functional categories, provides an official status to the RAVeL network. At the end of 2004, the network spans on of paths, and more than at the end of 2008. By 2022 there were over 45 marked local routes extending to more than .

Characteristics

Asphalt Asphalt, also known as bitumen (, ), is a sticky, black, highly viscous liquid or semi-solid form of petroleum. It may be found in natural deposits or may be a refined product, and is classed as a pitch. Before the 20th century, the term ...

concrete Concrete is a composite material composed of fine and coarse aggregate bonded together with a fluid cement (cement paste) that hardens (cures) over time. Concrete is the second-most-used substance in the world after water, and is the most wid ...

paths wherever possible *Renovation of bridges, tunnels and other infrastructure along the paths *Creation of access points such as stairs and ramps *Creation of rest areas along the paths *Secure road crossings *Specific signage

Network structure

The RAVeL network is divided into: * A backbone of five long distance itineraries (french: itinéraires), numbered from 1 to 5. * A set of local, shorter sections (french: sections), generally named after the number of the former railway line they follow. Additionally, sections earmarked for RAVeL conversion, with basic equipment but not yet to RAVeL standard, are labelled Pré-RAVeL. The RAVeL is connected to similar networks in adjacent regions (

Flanders Flanders (, ; Dutch: ''Vlaanderen'' ) is the Flemish-speaking northern portion of Belgium and one of the communities, regions and language areas of Belgium. However, there are several overlapping definitions, including ones related to cultu ...

and

Brussels Brussels (french: Bruxelles or ; nl, Brussel ), officially the Brussels-Capital Region (All text and all but one graphic show the English name as Brussels-Capital Region.) (french: link=no, Région de Bruxelles-Capitale; nl, link=no, Bruss ...

) and countries (

France France (), officially the French Republic ( ), is a country primarily located in Western Europe. It also comprises of overseas regions and territories in the Americas and the Atlantic, Pacific and Indian Oceans. Its metropolitan area ...

Luxembourg Luxembourg ( ; lb, Lëtzebuerg ; french: link=no, Luxembourg; german: link=no, Luxemburg), officially the Grand Duchy of Luxembourg, ; french: link=no, Grand-Duché de Luxembourg ; german: link=no, Großherzogtum Luxemburg is a small lan ...

Germany Germany,, officially the Federal Republic of Germany, is a country in Central Europe. It is the second most populous country in Europe after Russia, and the most populous member state of the European Union. Germany is situated betwe ...

and

Netherlands ) , anthem = ( en, "William of Nassau") , image_map = , map_caption = , subdivision_type = Sovereign state , subdivision_name = Kingdom of the Netherlands , established_title = Before independence , established_date = Spanish Netherl ...

References

{{Reflist

External links

Official site
(French)

(French) Tourist attractions in Wallonia National cycling route networks