CYCLISTS have been left baffled by signs which point to a cycle route which does not exist.

The signs, in Chorley New Road, signal the start and end of a cycle lane by Queens Park — but there are no markings saying where it is safe to ride.

Council chiefs have admitted they made a mistake in putting the signs up too early while the exact route was still undecided.

They blamed the blunder on the introduction of a new toucan crossing to help cyclists safely cross the road to the park.

A Bolton Council spokesman said: “This scheme was originally designed some time ago in conjunction with the improvement proposals for Queen’s Park.

“The toucan crossing is a stand alone feature to safely assist cycle access to the Park. The associated advisory cycle markings are part of future options that have yet to be debated and so the signs should not have gone up at this stage.

“The toucan crossing has been independently planned for some time.”

When it is eventually in place the cycle route will allow cyclists to ride all the way through Queens Park into Bolton town centre.

The plans have been welcomed by local cycling groups who say there are not enough substantial cycle lanes in Bolton.