Cycleway to link up two towns

3:21pm Tuesday 1st January 2008

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A NEW 6km bike cycle track running from Britannia Greenway to Healey Dell Reserve in Whitworth could be built if plans are approved.

The link, which has been put forward by Lancashire County Council, includes 3.5km of track running alongside existing roads and 2.5km of newly surfaced route running by the disused railway track.

The county council says the three metre-wide track will provide a link between the two towns, as it aims to improve the amount of cycleways throughout Rossendale.

It is hoped a track will eventually run throughout Rossendale, from Rising Bridge, through Rawtenstall, Waterfoot and Bacup, on on to Rochdale.

Gates will be added at each stretch of off-road cycleway but will allow access for pushchairs, but prevent access by motorbikes, making the area safe for all pedal cycle users.

Consultation has been carried out with local residents in Whitworth about the proposals with 2,000 leaflets distributed along the route and at Whitworth Civic Centre.

Proposals were previously supported by Rossendale Borough and Lancashire county councillors at a Lancashire Local meeting.

Coun Bill Challinor said: "I think it's an excellent idea. You can see so much more from these tracks than you could in a car.

"We are trying to promote health through leisure in the valley by making more things accessible to more people.

"A track like this would give kids a chance to do something safe without the risk of being knocked over. It is a plan that all the family can get involved with."

Irwell ward Coun Graham Haworth, a keen mountain biker, said: "I think it's a great idea to use a disused railway line to open a cycle track.

"It would give people a greater access to the valleys and especially those who to make more of a day if it.

"I would most certainly use the track as I got to Whitworth quite a lot so I would definitely pick it up in parts."

The council's development control committee will make a decision on the cycle track in the coming months.