Work has begun on improving two popular cycling routes in Swindon as part of the council’s pledge to improve six parts of town with money granted by Whitehall.

The start of the project on the Old Town Railway path comes just a month after a new bike lane in Commercial Road was dropped for a rethink.

But hopes are high latest scheme will be a success because it is building on existing usage.

Workers will spend the next four weeks improving the surface of the route path which runs from Signal Way in Old Town to the bottom of Kingshill Road.

Work will take place at three locations between Field Rise and the Wilts and Berks canal called Skew Bridge, at the junction with Field Rise and the section between the Devizes Road/Croft Road bridge and the Springfield Road/Westlecot Road bridge.

The other improvement scheme, which will also take about a month is at Kingsdown Lane, off Turnpike Road.

A new surface will be laid between Highworth Road at South Marston business park and Turnpike Road in Blunsdon.

The two schemes are part of six being funded by £200,000 of the Government’s emergency active travel fund.

Maureen Penny, the council’s cabinet member for highways said: “I am really pleased we have been able to use this government funding to improve these two cycle and pedestrian routes because it is really important we do all we can to promote sustainable travel.

“We already have an excellent cycle network in Swindon thanks to significant investment in recent years and hopefully these upgraded paths will encourage more people onto their bikes.”

Gerry Hannon, of the Swindon Cycle Campaign said: “The Old Town path is very popular and is laid on the route of an old railway track.

"It suffers from erosion from rain and the streams running alongside. Teams of volunteers do running day-to-day maintenance, but it’s good to see structural work being done to really improve it.

He said: “I think it’ll work because it’s building on an existing path which people use, and using links with volunteers, so it’s a good choice for where to spend some money.”

He contrasted it with the decision to put up a barrier making one lane of Commercial Road into a cycle lane. It was abandoned within the space of a week after triggering an outcry from traders who said they had not been consulted.The council has gone back to the drawing board.

“That just appeared overnight, and went just as fast, whereas this is building on something that’s already there,”