The network

The East Lancashire Strategic Cycleway Network will be developed over four years between April 2015 and March 2019 and once completed will provide 23km of new and 95km of improved routes in the area.  This will include enhanced links to the Enterprise Zone at Samlesbury and other key employment sites at Huncoat, Whitebirk, Blackburn Town Centre, Rising Bridge, Haslingden and along the Rossendale Valley.

The aim is to create a joined-up network that provides access to workplaces, schools, colleges, shops and other services, as well as providing tourism and recreation opportunities.  The routes will be based on old disused railway lines and will mainly be off road 'greenways'.

They 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.