WORKERS are to be encouraged to get on their bikes and leave the cars at home with the creation of 25 miles of cycle highways across Bolton.

Town hall bosses are to spend £2.5 million on the off-road routes to encourage people to cycle to work.

They will connect areas such as Anglezarke in the west to Bury in the east and down to Salford in the south. It is hoped the ambitious plan will help to turn Bolton into a haven for cyclists and encourage people to use bikes to travel to work and adopt a healthier lifestyle.

The routes have been carefully designed to avoid hills and will be well lit to ensure the safety of cyclists using them after dark.

They will have smooth surfaces and have gates to prevent motorcyclists using them. Cycle parks covered by CCTV cameras will be created at key points so people can leave their bikes without the worry of having them damaged or stolen.

The scheme will eventually connect Bolton to cycle routes in Manchester, Bury and Chorley as part of a nationwide network.

It is thought that in the few places where the routes will cross main roads, such as Bolton town centre, pushbike-friendly crossings will be installed.

Landscaping will also be carried out to make the routes attractive to ride along.

Cllr David Wilkinson, executive member for environment at Bolton Council, hopes the scheme will radically change the way Boltonians get around the borough.

He said: "We are not about to turn into cycle-friendly Holland overnight, but we are aiming to create a new generation of residents who commute by bike."

The scheme will be funded by the National Lottery, the council's highways programme and Transport Infrastructure Funding - money given to Bolton to compensate for missing out on the proposed Metrolink tram network expansion.

Much of the network already exists in footpath form and will be converted to make it as user-friendly as possible for cyclists.

Part of the route will also be made suitable for a shared use as a bridal way for horse riders when the work is completed in 2008.

Tony Watts, Bolton Council's principal engineer for the strategic highway planning department, said: "This is a massive scheme.

"We are trying to create a network that reintroduces people to bikes for a whole range of reasons, from commuting to leisure purposes.

"There will be proper remedial treatment on all routes and they will be a pleasure to use."

Work on the scheme has already begun at Middlebrook so residents who want to use commute by bike have convenient access to the industrial areas and shopping parks.

Cllr John Cronnolley, chairman of the Middlebrook Policy Development Group on Bolton Council, said: "This will allow people who want to walk or cycle to work to do so with ease."

Ian Marshall, secretary of the Lancashire Road Club, Bolton's largest cycling group, was delighted with the proposals.

He said: "We are particularly pleased to have a path that runs from Horwich to Bolton town centre and it should encourage more people to view cycling as an alternative method of getting around."