Nearly 300 miles of 'lost' British cycleways have been put back on the map by a historian with the help of Google Street View.

Five hundred miles (800km) of protected cycleways were commissioned to be built by the Ministry of Transport in the 1930s, and at least 280-miles (450 km) were completed.

Looking at satellite and street-level imagery, historian Carlton Reid rediscovered 80 hidden cycleways which can look like second pavements or dips in the side of the road.

He says their discovery could 'transform' British cycling by opening up new routes.

Zoom in on the map below to explore the routes

'Some of the 1930s-era cycleways I've identified are either fully or partially buried, but most are above ground, in full view but they are not recognised for what they are, which is innovative-for-the-time cycle-specific infrastructure that's more than 80-years-old,' said historian and cycling enthusiast Mr Reid.

Installed between 1934 and 1940, many of these cycleways were abandoned after the Second World War due to the growth of car ownership.

Some cycleways still exist but others are buried under a few inches of soil.

The vast network of paths were painted red when first created the colour has faded over the years.

Durham Road in Sunderland, for instance, has cycleways each side built in 1938, but only one side is marked as a cycleway on official maps.

HISTORY OF THE CYCLEPATHS Between 1937 and 1940 the Ministry of Transport would only give a grant to local authorities to build a road if they included nine foot (2.7 metre) cyclepaths on both sides. At least 280-miles (450 km) were actually completed. Some of these still exist, others have been grassed over and many are not marked as cycleways on maps. At the time the Ministry of Transport was working on plans to create a Dutch-inspired cycleways all over the country. Historian Carlton Reid has already found more than 80 separate protected schemes in Britain but this could only be 'scratching the surface'. Cycling was very popular and more than six million more people had taken it up since 1928. Post-war austerity pulled off plans for a national network of cycle tracks and cyclists were urged by post-war politicians to get off roads 'for their own safety'. In the 1950s the rising number of cars slowly forced cyclists off the roads and the network of paths started to fall into disrepair. Some cycleways still exist but others are buried under a few inches of soil. Advertisement

This image shows the concrete cycle track at St Helier's Avenue in Morden with a wide cycleparth down the side - plans suggest the paths had to be nine foot (2.7 metre) wide

Eighty years later this is the St Helier's Avenue and the space that was original designed for cyclists is now being used by cars. 'People can live next to these things and not realise what they are', Mr Reid told MailOnline

Mr Reid made the discovery using Google Street View which is a descendant of EarthViewer, a CIA-funded project that was used by the US military in war zones from the late 1990s onwards.

'Between 1937 and 1940 the Ministry of Transport would only give a grant to local authorities [to build a road] if they included cycle ways', Mr Reid told MailOnline.

'When I started the project a few years ago I thought there were just tiny schemes of a few miles, I didn't realise there was so much out there.

'People can live next to these things and not realise what they are', he said.

Wide cyclepaths were built either side of Chertsey Road in Twickenham. Cycling was very popular and more than six million more people had taken it up since 1928

This is Chertsey Road in Twickenham today. The cyclepath is so wide the Google Street View car drove down it before realising it was not part of the road

Pictured is Chester Road, near Orphanage Road in Birmingham. Two people can be seen using the cyclepath on the right hand side sometime during the 1930s

This image shows is the same spot of Chester Road taken from Google Street View today. The cyclepath appears to be partially covered in grass but still visible down the right-hand side

Lostock Road in Manchester taken in 1936. Between 1934 and 1940, 500 miles (800km) of cycleways were commission to be built by the Ministry of Transport in the UK but many were forgotten due to the growth of car ownership

This is the same road in Manchester today. The cyclepath can still be seen on both sides of the road. Mr Reid used satellite and street-level imagery to discover hidden-in-plain-sight cycleways

Mr Reid used satellite and street-level imagery to discover hidden-in-plain-sight cycleways and believes there are still many more to be discovered.

'I've added at least another ten more schemes in the last few days since I launched the campaign. All the schemes were a minimum of two miles so another twenty or thirty miles have already been added to the network', he said.

'Quite a lot of them are still in use but nobody knows how old they are', he said.

Workers in London construct a cyclepath in the 1930s. At the time, the Ministry of Transport was working on plans to create a Dutch-inspired cycleways all over the country

A cyclepath in use during the 1930s, although the location is not known. Historian Carlton Reid has already found more than 80 separate protected schemes in Britain but this could only be 'scratching the surface'

These tracks were on a London to Brighton road during the 1930s (exact location unknown). However, post-war austerity pulled off plans for a national network of cycle tracks and cyclists were urged by post-war politicians to get off roads 'for their own safety'

Some of the cycleways Mr Reid has digitally uncovered extend for a few miles either side of the suburban arterial roads built in the 1930s.

However he has also identified residential cycleways which are often now treated as 'private roads' with cars parked on them.

'From the comfort of my desk I've been able to back-up my hunches by zooming in to the images provided by the Street View cameras,' said Reid, who is from Ouseburn Valley near Newcastle.

'The cycleways have been wide and often kerb-protected since they were built, but it was quickly forgotten when and who they were built for,' he added.

Between 1937 and 1940 all arterial roads such as Southend arterial road in Essex had cyclepaths either side (pictured). Some of these still exist, others have been grassed over and many are not marked as cycleways on maps

This is Southend arterial road in Essex today and the cycle lane down the side is in good condition. 'Quite a lot of them are still in use but nobody knows how old they are', Mr Reid said

The vast network of paths were painted red (pictured) when first created the colour has faded over the years. They were rediscovered by a historian using Google Street View

Neville's Cross is a mile and a half long cyclepath in Durham which is in good quality, as is Durham Road in Sunderland which is a couple of miles long.

Archive maps show that the 18-mile Southend Arterial Road from Gallows Corner in Romford to Southend once had cycleways along its full length (they were known as 'cycle tracks' at the time).

This extensive cycleway also linked in to others in the area.

Mr Reid said he hopes to keep some of the ones in better condition as they were in the 1930s.

This 1930s cyclepath is now semi-buried alongside Yeomanry Way in Chelmsford - in the 1950s the rising number of cars slowly forced cyclists off the roads and the network of paths started to fall into disrepair

Nearly 300 miles of 'lost' British cycleways have been put back on the map across the UK (pictured). Some cycleways still exist but others are buried under a few inches of soil

There are more than 20 forgotten cycle routes in London alone (pictured) and historian Mr Reid has started a campaign to get them back to how they were in the 1930s

'There are a few which are in good nick, they haven't really been touched for eighty years', he said.

'However, others are in disrepair - the only way you can rescue them is by completely degrading them and building them up to scratch', he said.

Mr Reid has started a Kickstarter campaign to raise funds to rescue forgotten cycleways and get them back to how they were in the 1930s.

The campaign has already exceeded its £7,000 ($9,000) target and has received more than £11,000 ($14,200) in pledges.

Neville's Cross (pictured) is a mile and a half long cyclepath in Durham which is in good quality, as is Durham Road in Sunderland which is a couple of miles long and used regularly

Mr Reid has started a Kickstarter campaign to raise funds to rescue forgotten cycleways (pictured) and get them back to how they were in the 1930s