MOTORISTS are being warned to plan ahead as residents warn a major road project could cause traffic chaos.

The first phase of the Access to Headington will see temporary traffic lights around the junction of Old Road, Roosevelt Drive, Gipsy Lane and Warneford Lane.

Work will take place from 7.45am to 5.45pm every day and Saturday mornings with this stage of the project expected to finish by March next year.

Oxfordshire County Council has said it will do all it can to minimise disruption but said 'delays are expected'.

Lye Valley county councillor Liz Brighouse said: “It is going to be horrendous. I am dreading Access to Headington.

“They are starting Roosevelt Drive on Monday and it is going to be absolutely horrendous all the way until February."

And Headington & Quarry Councillor Roz Smith has previously raised concerns about potential disruption and has also said the council has overlooked a key route into Headington - Headington Quarry - in the scheme.

She joined members of the Friends of Quarry this week to conduct their own traffic surveys in a bid to show the council how busy the access road was.

Cllr Smith said: "By the number of vehicles that have come through this road, I think the council needs to look again at this.

"It's a residential road, it's not an A or a B road, it's a yellow road and that's why it's been overlooked. I don't think officers really appreciate the amount of traffic we suffer coming through here.

"I just feel that if this was a village road out in rural Oxfordshire maybe the Tory administration would prioritise it. We are in an urban village and we are suffering with the amount of traffic.

"If we can't get it on the Access to Headington for phase two then we want to get it prioritised in a future project."

Fellow Friends of Quarry member who was out counting traffic Lawrence Kelly, aged 65, said: "It is an increase and particularly at Quarry Road.

"This is probably the worst year. The traffic increases year on year. It's quicker if you want to go to Old Road to go through Quarry rather than London Road. It's a rat run.

"I don't think there's a simple solution. I want to see more intelligent traffic lights."

Despite the warnings, Oxfordshire County Council said that it would not be including the route in the project.

Council spokeswoman Emily Reed said: "Unfortunately funding cannot therefore be used in other areas.

“The reason for focusing on these routes is because they are where the vast majority of travel demands are placed, and therefore, improvements on these corridors also provide the greatest opportunity to further encourage commuters to switch to public transport, walking and cycling."

The Friends of Quarry said it would collate and submit its survey to Oxfordshire County Council at the weekend to argue the case.