Cycle route may be halted by Reform council review

The K2L cycle route would link Kenilworth to Leamington Spa

Progress on a long-awaited cycle route between two Warwickshire towns could be halted, following a council review.

The county council has been developing a five-kilometre (3.1-mile) cycle track, known as K2L, between Kenilworth and Leamington Spa.

Work on the scheme is being carried out in sections, with the first part of the route, from Clarendon Avenue to the Kenilworth Road boundary, completed in early 2024.

However, George Finch, leader of the Reform UK-run council, said it would be conducting a county-wide review to see whether cycle lanes "are actually worth it", noting there were other priorities.

More than 3,000 residents had signed a petition for the cycle track's inclusion in the county council's plans, with £4.75m of funding allocated for the route in December 2019.

Construction on K2L was expected to take place in 2021 and 2022 but project management issues, including the complexities of various parts of the route along the A452, saw progress slow down.

At a press conference to launch new policies, Finch was asked whether the council's review of cycle lanes would impact the project and its completion date.

He noted the plans had been put in place when the Conservatives were in power and the latest timescale he had been provided was "2027 to 2028".

Finch said the authority would not be "crazily putting down cycle lanes" as they "don't think it is best for the residents".

"As an administration, we believe the addiction to cycle lanes doesn't solve the crisis that they seem to fathom up, the climate change crisis," he added.

"What we do see is when it comes to congestion on roads, cycle lanes are not the most sensible option which is why you have seen a change in the political sphere here."

George Finch has announced the party's priorities and said the council hoped to save £20m in its first year.

When asked to clarify whether K2L could be affected, Finch said: "We will have to look at whether the review of the cycle lanes start there, whether we finish that project because the money is there or do reviews elsewhere – maybe in Weddington or other places across Warwickshire – to see whether cycle lanes are actually being used."

Finch said if the K2L project "has all been ticked off then it is hard to repeal that", adding it was something he can look into further.