Greenways program will support new trails for healthy life-style in 2008

The Ekopolis Foundation celebrated World Environment Day (June 5) with three symbolic events. It announced the fifth year of the Greenways program, opened a new season of ecological tricycles in Slovakia and offered a free ride to citizens of Bratislava. People could donate a monetary gift to the program supporting trails for cyclists in Bratislava and its surroundings.

The Greenways program aims at the support of trails for active lifestyle and motor-less traffic in local partnerships. The Trixi mobil project sponsors the program with the amount of 600 Ths. SKK. T–Mobile Slovakia is its sponsor.

In 2008, the Greenways program will support the planning and realization of trails for recreation and sport, everyday transport to work or school, etc. The greenways will become areas for pleasant meetings and exercise (walking, jogging, cycling, roller-skating, cross county skiing etc.). Non-profit organizations and informal groups of citizens can apply for a grant of up to 200 Ths. SKK. Cooperation with local partners such as schools, municipalities and entrepreneurs increases the chances of the applicant. August 4, 2008 is the deadline for submitting the proposal. The list of selected projects will be published until August 31, 2008  at our web page www.ekopolis.sk.

The program has supported the development of 175 km of trails since its opening in 2004. They can be found between Bratislava and Moravský Sv. Ján, in the Turiec region, between Zvolen and Banská Bystrica and in the surrounding of Prešov and Košice. Till summer 2008 another 455 km of greenways will be finished in these localities.

Trixi season in Slovakia opened on June 5

The ecological tricycles with attractive design (so called Trixi mobils) will ride from June 5, 2008 across Bratislava, Piešťany and Košice. Slovakia is the 18th state in the world where 5 original rickshaws offer their services from June to October. Nowadays they can be seen in almost every eco-friendly European city. They are mostly called Velotaxis.

The goal of the Trixi mobil project in Slovakia is to promote ecological, motor-less transport, to support Greenways - the grant program of the Ekopolis Foundation and to contribute to tourism development in the region.

The modern vehicles for one driver and two passengers have been produced in Berlin since 1997. Trixi mobils are equipped with an electric auxiliary motor /250 W/ and are able to reach speeds of 5-25 km per hour. The polyethylene cabin is 100% recyclable. They are 3,05 m long, 1,10 m wide and weigh 144 kg.

Where can they be found?

Bratislava
Cell Phone: 0904 104 104
Two Trixi mobils ride in the downtown of the capital and its surrounding every day besides 7-9 a.m. and 3-5 p.m.

Routes in downtown Bratislava:

• Square of Ľ. Štúra – Medená st.– Kúpeľná st.– Palackého st.– Jesenského st.– Štúrova st. – Tobrucká st. – Múzejná st. – Vajanského nábrežie – Square of Ľ. Štúra
• Square of SNP – Poštová st.– Hurbanovo Square  – Square of SNP  

Košice:
Cell Phone: 0911 567 423 or 0911 KOSICE
Two Trixi mobils will take you from the Bus/Railway Station to the historic centre of the city. They ride every day from 9 a.m. to 7 p.m. They are operated in cooperation with the Kosice Town Beautifying Society and the MiC Košice Information Centre. (www.mickosice.sk).

Trixi mobils can be found in front of the Tesco Shopping Centre (Hlavná st. 111), Dargov Shopping Center (Hlavná 2) and the Bus Station.

Piešťany
Cell Phone: 0904 104 455
The Trixi mobil can take you on a tour or a short trip through the downtown area and on Kúpeľný island. It is operated in cooperation with ProPolis, a non-profit organization based in Pieštany. (www.propolis.sk ) You can find a Trixi mobil in the pedestrian zone every day.

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The price of a ride is set according to the length and difficulty of the route, on average:
Ľ hour – 100 SKK / 3 EUR
˝ hour – 170 SKK / 5 EUR   
1 hour – 300 SKK / 9 EUR

Photographs, a detailed pricelist and routes can be found at www.triximobil.sk.