A Cycling Recap of the 2026 Summer Vacation

In July, 433,324 bike trips were recorded, and in August, even more—as many as 496,973. In total, from June 27—the first day of summer vacation—through August 31, our counters recorded 975,385 bike trips. That’s an average of 14,779 cyclists every day. This is a clear record since we began measuring bicycle traffic in the region. It’s worth noting, however, that the network of counters is constantly expanding. Last year, 17 devices counted cyclists; today we have 24, and we plan to launch more in the coming years. For your convenience, all counters are marked on the map below. Please note, however, that the counter in Golczewo was not activated until September, so it was not included in the summer statistics.

Let’s take a look at the results for each route.

Velo Baltica Remains in the Lead

The Velo Baltica coastal route, which features six counters, remains the most popular. The counter located in Świnoujście also remains the most popular one in the province, and perhaps even in Poland. Since June 27, 287,409 cyclists have passed through there, and the daily record was set on August 11, when the counter recorded 7,377 passes.

For many years, Świnoujście had no competitor, but this season a strong rival has emerged. The new counter in Podczele near Kołobrzeg has recorded as many as 190,999 passes. Other coastal locations include: Sarbinowo (125,670), Rogowo (114,987), Darłowo (47,522), and Kołczewo (42,706).

The data shows that some cyclists cover the entire Velo Baltica route, but most choose shorter segments—either one-day trips or rides lasting a few hours. This reflects the vacation-oriented nature of the coastal trail, where cycling often serves as an attractive complement to a seaside getaway.

Most counters recorded results similar to last year’s. The exception is Kołczewo, where we recorded a 12-percent increase. This is particularly encouraging, as it indicates growing interest in places that have so far remained somewhat off the beaten path of tourist traffic. It’s worth noting that the western section of the EV10/13 route partially follows a bike path alongside a provincial road, and the section near Międzyzdroje still has temporary signage. Despite this, more and more cyclists are discovering the potential of this part of the coast.

The Old Railway Trail

There are four counters along the Old Railroad Trail, but analyzing this year’s results is difficult. The Koszalin-Mielno section remains very popular; however, ongoing work to renovate and widen the bike path has resulted in incomplete data. Temporary interruptions in counter operation also occurred in Karlino and Rudki near Wałcz.

The most reliable comparison can be made for Toporzyk. This summer, 8,002 people passed through there, representing an increase of over 9% compared to last year. The other counters recorded the following figures: Mielno (12,841), Karlino (4,721), and Rudki (2,299); however, it should be noted that these figures are incomplete.

Western Lake District Route 

There are currently six counters operating along the Western Lake District Route, including three new devices and the region’s only pedestrian-and-bicycle counter.

Among the locations where a comparison with last year is possible, Borne Sulinowo saw the most cyclists, with 12,195 trips recorded. This figure is nearly identical to last year’s. Second place went to Nowe Objezierze near Moryń with 9,847 trips, representing an increase of over 9%. This is no coincidence. In recent years, many new sections of bike paths have been built in this part of the region, and they are increasingly attracting tourists. If you’d like to explore this area, we recommend two routes:the Cedyńska Bike Loopandthe Bridges and Ferries Loop

In Mostkowo near Barlinek, the counter recorded 8,257 trips, which is over 6% more than the previous year. The increase is also evident in the daily records. While 288 cyclists were recorded there on July 27, 2025, by August 2 of that year, the number had already risen to 341.

The results from the new sections are particularly interesting. In the Kóz area, at the junction of the main route and its branch (R20A), the counter recorded 7,478 trips. This is a promising result, especially since not all construction work had been completed by the start of summer vacation, and some traffic was rerouted via detours. All signs indicate that in the coming years, this location will easily exceed the 10,000-trip mark during the summer season.

A new counter installed near Storkowo, marked as Ińsko, recorded 4,871 trips. This is a very good result, considering that work is still underway to create a complete and convenient connection between this part of the route and Drawsko Pomorskie, as well as further sections in the eastern part of the region. If you’d like to travel through these places, we recommend the“Ińsko Lake District in the Footsteps of the Narrow-Gauge Railway” tour.

Another new feature is the pedestrian and bicycle counter on the European Bridge in Siekierki. During the summer vacation period, it recorded 26,943 users, including 14,963 cyclists and 11,980 pedestrians. This confirms the immense popularity of this unique spot on the map of Western Pomerania.

Blue Velo and the Route Around the Szczecin Lagoon

The next set of results comes from the Blue Velo routes and the Route Around the Szczecin Lagoon, which partially follow the same path.

The highest number of people passed through Pilchowo, near Szczecin, where the counter recorded 21,529 trips. A large portion of this traffic was undoubtedly Szczecin residents taking quick bike trips out of town. Although the total number of trips was slightly lower than last year, the season’s record-breaking day brought nearly a thousand cyclists—21% more than during the busiest 24-hour period of last year’s summer vacation.

Dąbie also achieved very good results, with 13,878 trips recorded on the floodwall—over 9% more than the previous year. On the record-breaking day, the counter registered 664 people, representing a 26% increase compared to the previous summer.

The new counter in Kołbaskowo achieved an almost identical result—13,446 crossings.

Other locations included: Czarnocin (5,648, +13%), Chwarstnica (5,541, -8%), and Nowe Warpno (5,124, +41%). The decline in Chwarstnica may be partly due to the opening of a new section of the Płonia Valley Route between Sobieradz and Drzenin, which likely diverted some traffic, as well as the deteriorating road surface conditions along the route toward Trzcińsko-Zdrój. However, repairs to this section are planned for next year, which should once again boost the route’s appeal.

In contrast, the very high increase in Nowe Warpno is partly the result of a greater number of cross-border trips. During last year’s summer vacation, traffic at border crossings was limited, and many tourists approached crossing the border with greater caution.

The Berlin-Szczecin-Kołobrzeg Loop

The final route is the northern branch of the Berlin-Szczecin-Kołobrzeg loop. Currently, two counters are in operation there: Golczewo and Rymań. The first of these has only been operational since September, which is why it was not included in the summer report.

A total of 3,452 people passed through the counter in Rymań. The route is still under development, and sections of the new cycling infrastructure are still interspersed with detours. However, we hope that as further projects are completed, the numbers will steadily increase, reflecting the growing popularity of this part of the region.

Check the results as they come in

So, overall, was this year’s summer vacation better in terms of bicycle traffic? Due to a lack of data, this is difficult to determine; most counters showed similar or slightly higher figures. If we consider only the counters that were operational throughout both seasons and had complete data, we recorded 704,742 bicycle trips during the 2025 summer vacation, compared to 708,315 this year. That is precisely why we are installing more counters—to be able to reliably analyze traffic throughout the entire province. We expect that if all the counters are working properly, next year we’ll break the one-million-trip mark during summer vacation.

All the counters described, along with their results, are summarized in the table below. We also encourage you to track bicycle traffic in Western Pomerania yourself via the website “Bicycle Traffic – Western Pomerania,” where data is updated in real time. This allows everyone to see how dynamically the region’s bicycle network is growing and how eagerly residents and tourists are using it.

* These counters have incomplete data for the period under review