CYCLISTS have reached the end of the road with Bolton's new modern multi-million pound interchange - designed to encourage people to use public transport.

For the cycling hub keeps, according to users, malfunctioning.

One cyclist said it had been malfunctioning for more than six weeks.

It comes after lifts at Bolton train station have been out of order a number of times.

Cycle Hubs are a Transport for Greater Manchester initiative where cyclists pay £10 a year for safe places to store their bikes at transport stations and hubs around Greater Manchester.

The hubs are accessed by key cards which unlock the doors and allow users to put their bicycles in.

However, the Cycle Hub at Bolton Interchange had not worked properly  for over six weeks.

Paris Hayes, 21, of Westhoughton, spoke to The Bolton News about why he stopped using the hub.

He said: "I stopped using it a while ago after several trips into Bolton and it being broken. The door says to ask bus station staff to let you in but they always refuse.

"I've sent several emails to TfGM (Transport for Greater Manchester) but they haven't fixed it. I've stopped going into town for shopping and started going to other places instead."

Paris drew a parallel between bikes and cars, adding: "I don't think drivers would be too happy if car park shutters or barriers were always broken and they couldn't access them.

"I've only ever seen it not broken once, around the start of lockdown.

"It seems crazy to have all this new cycling infrastructure and the cycle hub not even work."

Another user, who wished to remain anonymous, told The Bolton News about their issues using the hub.

They said: “It's a disgrace that the Cycle Hub at Bolton Interchange has been broken for such a long time. If you want to encourage people to cycle, you have to make it easy.

“The key card doesn’t unlock the doors, so you have to find a member of staff to unlock it for you.”

They added: “Having to find a member of staff to open the doors adds an extra five or 10 minutes to the process of simply parking my bike and wastes both our time.”

The user says he has not had issues with any other cycle hubs in Greater Manchester. They said:

“I have a subscription because I use the one in Oldham, but that also gives me access to the Bolton one.

"The Oldham one definitely works fine.”

The time that it takes to get a staff member to unlock the hub has provoked the user into avoiding it.

They said: “I just use the parking at the station now if I do bring my bike, as it takes too long to find a member of staff.

“It’s always a worry that someone might have to go home, and I’ll be unable to get my bike back.”

A spokesperson for TfGM said: “We apologise for any inconvenience caused by the recent issues reported at Bolton Interchange’s cycle hub.

“We can confirm that the door access system fault has been rectified.”

Regeneration works for the interchange cost £48 million, with it opening in 2017.

READ: 'Superb' new Bolton bus interchange welcomes first commuters

Facilities included a 'skylink' bridge which connects the hub to the railway station, and a Greggs.