Bolton Council is relying on a route through Queens Park to link two cycle routes to the town centre. One is a Bee Network proposal from Doffcocker to the town centre, funded by the (GM) Mayor’s Cycling and Walking Challenge Fund, and the other is an Emergency Active Travel Fund proposal along Chorley New Road, funded directly by the Department for Transport.
The route through the park makes for a lovely section of leisure ride on a nice sunny day when the park is full of people, though it is a bit steep going away from the town centre. I can easily do it on my 27-gear Dawes hybrid bike, but I think it would be a bit of a challenge on my Elephant Bike loaded up with fruit and veg on the way back from Bolton Market
Cycling home from work on an dark evening in winter is likely to be a rather different proposition, though, as these selected news stories would suggest.
- Knife gang struck 10 times in Bolton mugging spree. (Bolton News, November 2020)
“On December 3, Alothman was part of a group which robbed Jordan Brookes of a mobile telephone and keys after chasing him into Queens Park and holding a knife against his stomach.“ - Girl, 7, stabbed to death in random attack in Bolton park – now police have launched an urgent appeal. (Manchester Evening News, March 2020)
“The seven-year-old girl was stabbed in a ‘unprovoked and random attack’ in Queen’s Park, near Bolton town centre, on Sunday afternoon. She suffered serious injuries and died a short time later.” - ‘Stay out of parks’ warning after stabbing. (Bolton News, March 2017)
“RESIDENTS have been warned to stay out of parks at night after a man was stabbed in a mugging. The warning comes following an incident on Tuesday night when a man who was asked to hand over his phone, refused and was stabbed. The incident took place in Queens Park“ - Man raped in Queens Park, Bolton. (Bolton News, October 2013)
The 31-year-old victim was in the park, off Chorley New Road, when the attack happened at 3.10am on Sunday.