TRAVEL in Bolton could be transformed by millions of pounds for new cycling and walking routes. HELENA VESTY reports on the campaign to get funding for the borough after years of 'losing out'.

MULTI-MILLION pound plans to convince drivers to leave their cars at home are in the works. But leaders say that Bolton has trailed behind in funding for new cycle and walkways because of a lack of council officers to put bids together.

Four proposals for state of the art routes across Bolton have been submitted, aiming to secure cash from the Greater Manchester Combined Authority travel scheme — the Bee Network.

The plans would transform roads with new and improved crossings, pedestrian-only areas, segregated cycle and walk ways, and quiet routes, among a host of options to make cycling and walking a safer experience.

Greater Manchester bosses hope that giving cyclists and walkers their own space will encourage people to ditch their cars and go green, especially for short journeys.

Once final plans are worked up and given the rubber stamp, the council will then be in charge of getting works underway.

But council officers say that Bolton has been struggling to take full advantage of the funding available, lacking staff to put applications together.

Meanwhile neighbouring boroughs have stormed ahead in the race for cash with teams dedicated to big projects, according to officers speaking at a public scrutiny committee in August.

Wigan has been particularly successful in building its Bee Network, with new cycling and walking routes already finished in the borough. In July, the debut project in the Greater Manchester Bee Network was completed in Wigan, worth £14.6 million.

Salford has also seized the opportunity, securing funding for 12 schemes in the first five rounds of bidding in comparison to Bolton's two approved schemes.

Bolton Council has instead relied on the help of Bolton Active Travel Forum to put bids together — a group of residents, local cyclists and walkers, councillors and other interested citizens.

Bolton Council leader David Greenhalgh says the borough has been 'losing out for years' because of a lack of formal resources. He said: "We need more capacity at the council for accessing grants from the government and from Greater Manchester.

"Bolton has been losing out and has lost out for years. We cannot go on like this."

Bolton Council voted on Wednesday night to approve a Transformation for Change policy, expected to bump the number of council staff working on schemes like the Bee Network.

Cllr Greenhalgh added: "We need to be more agile, more digital, more efficient but it's also about having a core of people to get bids written, get them out, get the data together. And that's not just for schemes but for frontline service delivery too."

Two of the four schemes planned for Bolton have been granted preliminary approval, giving Bolton Council the opportunity to create a full plan of how the changes would be made in practice.

The £4.1 million Bolton Town Centre East scheme focuses on improving the experience of people on foot and bikes across the centre.

Seven new crossings, upgrades for two junctions and two subways, two-way cycle tracks on one-way streets, and more cycle parking are all included in the plan.

The second plan, B6226 Bolton, is worth £1.5 million will provide a high-quality walking and cycling route to the town centre. Running parallel to the much busier Chorley Old Road, the changes will be signed 'quiet routes', hoping to keep cyclists and pedestrians safer along with improved crossing and pathways through parks and public spaces.

Two more schemes covering Astley Bridge, Crompton and Westhoughton are expected to be approved in by the GMCA in November.

The leader says that these schemes are paving the way for a more proactive approach to grant funding in the council.

Cllr Greenhalgh added: "We are catching up, we're delighted that we have two bids in the last round of funding."

"We have also got a meeting coming up with Chris Boardman, the Greater Manchester Cycling and Walking Commissioner, to see how we can best develop with all of the regeneration in the town centre. There will be opportunities for cycling and walking routes there."

At local area forums, residents appear to be more sceptical than leaders, questioning whether people will take to the proposed cycle and walkways as much as similar systems have been embraced in Europe. One Westhoughton resident said: “The ideas are fantastic if it was for a new build but these are already busy roads. Lots of people park on the road, where are people going to park if there’s a cycle lane there instead.”

“Will people want to go out in the cold and rain and use a bike?”

The Westhoughton representative of the travel group, Mike Hutton, vowed that worries would be resolved in the consultation process for the schemes. He said: "We have to start thinking of a different way of doing things. Building a new road won't work, it will just get filled with cars and the traffic will be just as bad."