Residents on Guys Cross Park Road may soon not be able to turn right onto Coventry Road after the county council signed off on a number of works to build a new cycle route into the centre of Warwick.

On Friday (May 12) Warwickshire County Council gave the green light to detailed designs for the new active travel link along A429 Coventry Road.

Last October the council approved funding for the scheme which will see the new route built from the Spinney Hill roundabout - where it will connect to the National Cycle Network Route 52 to Kenilworth - and the St John's junction on the edge of Warwick town centre. 

A public consultation was then launched in November, which led to just 19 responses.

And following the decision on Friday, the council has now signed off on plans for:

• Two zebra crossings on Guys Cross Park Road
• Cycle/pedestrian priority crossing on Rowan Drive
• Cycle/pedestrian priority crossing on Rowan Drive
• Cycle/pedestrian priority crossing on Station Avenue
• Upgrading puffin crossing by the Railway Inn to toucan crossing
• Extra toucan crossing approximately 10 metres north of Lakin Road
• Raised tables for priority crossings at various locations
• Conversion of paths along Coventry Road to shared cycle and pedestrian use
• Prohibition of right hand turn from Guys Cross Park Road

Among the objections to the scheme, some residents said the removal of the right hand turn lane from Guys Cross Park Road would make it harder for them to access their properties.

But the council's report said: "The proposed TRO to prohibit the right turn from Guys Cross Park Road is required to reduce the two lane exit onto Coventry Road into a single lane exit. 

"At this location, a parallel crossing is proposed to facilitate quicker and safer crossing movements for both pedestrians and cyclists. 

"By reducing the carriageway down to one lane, cyclists and pedestrians can cross the junction quickly, with limited impact on vehicle flows. 

"Prohibiting the right turn out of this junction removes the potential for excessive delay caused by occasional right turners."

The turn right land from Guys Cross Park Road could be removed as part of the scheme (image via google.maps)

The council said the scheme to build the 1.15km cycleway is expected to cost £715,000. It said the design could be scaled back if costs increase too much.

"The route has been proposed to provide a safe and direct cycling route between the Spinney Hill roundabout on the outskirts of Warwick, Warwick station and the St Johns area on the edge of Warwick town centre," the report added. 

"The route will provide a key missing link in the local cycling network enabling more people to make journeys by sustainable forms of transport."

WCC said it hopes to start construction this year.