Published August 31, 2017 at 15:13
An exciting four-year £5.85m scheme is now well underway across Rossendale and East Lancashire to create and improve cycling routes.
The East Lancashire Strategic Cycleway project is designed to create 23km of new multi-user routes and improve 95km of existing routes between 2015 and 2019, including the Valley of Stone connecting Rawtenstall to Whitworth.
Roy Halliday, Senior Projects Officer for Lancashire County Council, has produced a blog to update on progress to date and future plans:
The aim is to create a joined-up network that provides access to workplaces, schools, colleges and other services, as well as providing tourism and recreation opportunities. The routes will largely be based on old disused railway lines and will mainly be off road ‘greenways’.
There will be places where you can teach children how to ride their bikes, take toddlers for a walk or in a pushchair, use a wheelchair or mobility vehicle, go for a horse ride, bike ride, do a 5km run, or take a leisurely walk.
There are four routes included within the project and these are the Weavers Wheel around Blackburn, the Valley of Stone connecting Rawtenstall to Whitworth, National Cycle Network Route 6 (NCN6) linking Accrington to Stubbins and the Huncoat Greenway near Accrington.
Total funding for the project is £5.85M secured from the Lancashire Growth Deal and with local contributions from Lancashire County Council and Blackburn with Darwen Council.
Work up to now has included sections of the NCN6 at Helmshore, on the Valley of Stone at Waterfoot and near Bacup and the Weavers Wheel route is now largely completed. Further work is due to start this autumn on the Valley of Stone route at Britannia and in Stacksteads.
Go here for further information on the project or contact the project team at: eastlancscycleway@lancashire.gov.uk