MONTEREY — Monterey has become an official part of a national network of bike paths that runs from San Diego to Seattle.

A resolution recently passed by the Monterey City Council designates portions of existing trails and streets through the city as part of the U.S. Bicycle Route 95. Despite being called Route 95 the network is not affiliated with any state highway or federal freeway.

But it and scores of other bike routes in the country were named by the same agency that designates highways. Called the American Association of State Highway and Transportation Officials, the organization is not a federal agency, rather a national coordinating group comprised of the states themselves.

The association is working with a number of other agencies, including Caltrans, the California Bicycle Coalition and the Adventure Cycling Association. The highway system begins with low numbers in the west — thus Highway 1 — and increases as they move east. The bicycle routes are the opposite, beginning with low numbers in the east and increasing as they move west.

Bicycle Route 95 begins at the Canadian border, runs along the Pacific coast and terminates at the Mexican border, said Laura Crawford, the U.S. Bicycle Route System coordinator with the Adventure Cycling Association.

Route 95 mirrors the Coast Highway.

“We’re about halfway done in California,” Crawford said. “Northern California is a lot further along than Southern California. From Oregon to San Francisco, everyone is on board.”

Adventure Cycling is a bicycle-travel organization in North America with 52,000 members, according to its website.

In a report to the City Council, Fernanda Roveri, a senior associate planner, said adopting a resolution would “promote … the vision to make Monterey a city where alternative forms of transportation are so attractive that the use of an automobile is a choice, not a necessity.”

She noted that bicycle tourism is a growth industry that is now contributing $47 billion a year to the economies of communities that provide facilities for bicycling tourists.

“As a city, we stand to benefit from this opportunity both economically and from the health and environmental-related benefits of encouraging bicycle travel in our region,” Roveri told the council.

Route 95 through Monterey will use about five miles of Monterey roads that were reviewed by city planning and public works staff. The route will come into Monterey via the Recreation Trail, cut through downtown, head up Munras Avenue and Viejo Road, and link to Highway 1 at the Highway 68 roundabout.

Becoming part of the Route 95 system does not lock Monterey into any requirements. The chosen route is a balance of low traffic, direct routing, access to services and points of interest, and scenic roads, Roveri said.

Now that the City Council has approved the move, a copy of the resolution will be sent to the Caltrans District 5 bicycle pedestrian coordinator. Caltrans will then submit an application to American Association of State Highway and Transportation Officials.