Plans for new cycle lanes in the borough have been met with mixed reviews by councillors.

The new infrastructure was announced by Transport for Greater Manchester on Tuesday and includes two plans.

One plan will form a "major segregated cycle way" in Manchester Road to access Bolton town centre from the south which will be completed in two phases.

Phase one from Bolton to Farnworth will connect the CYCLOPS junctions currently being built in the town centre to a planned cycling and walking scheme through Farnworth town centre.

They cycle lanes will be made through road space reallocation and segregation with 'wand-orcas' (as seen on Chorley New Road).

The second phase will extend this through Farnworth a further 1.5 miles into Kearsley.

Another major cycleway will be implemented in Moss Bank Way from Doffcocker to the Astley Bridge junction with Blackburn Road.

Kearlsey councillor, Mark Cunningham, said he is "absolutely furious" about the newly planned cycle lanes.

He said: "Ward councillors who this will be affecting were not notified.

"This just feels like Greater Manchester interfering with Bolton without thinking of the local residents first.

"The roads from Kearsley through to Farnworth have already been narrowed enough to create parking spaces.

"Adding these cycle lanes would only reduce it further, it would be an accident waiting to happen, I'm totally unhappy with this.

"This just feels like another unwanted interference in residents lives by Manchester leaders, simply making decisions that people don't want.

"It's absolutely ridiculous I can't see how they can justify it, nobody uses the cycle lanes that have been built already.

"We need to rebuild the economy, which means we will need people and cars on the road, cycle lanes will just cause congestion.

"It will create more congestion which goes against their ideas for "clean air" which is ridiculous.

"It's just not a good idea, it's an idea only supported by the few but being imposed on the many."

Bolton's Labour group leader, Cllr Nick Peel, feels that cycle lanes are only part of the solution to reducing congestion on the roads, and that priorities should be placed on creating a better public transport system.

He said: "It needs to be done in a safe manner.

"It's difficult to balance creating a space where cyclists feel safe and that doesn't cause congestion on the road, it really needs to be done carefully.

"There are a lot of cars on the road now which needs to be decreased.

"Cycle lanes and encouraging people to cycle is one option but good public transport should be the priority.

"Public transport provision has decreased massively over the years, so many vital routes have been stopped, we could do with a subsidised system like in London so more people get on proper public transport.

"This would, with the cycle lanes decrease the amount of road users, which is a benefit for a number of reasons for everyone."