£4.4 million to make Norwich roundabout safer
There were 33 recorded accidents between July 2011 and November 2022 on the roundabout
Ways to improve safety on a 'notorious' roundabout in Norwich are set to be considered.
Heartsease Fiveways roundabout had 33 recorded accidents between July 2011 and November 2022 - with at least 15 cyclists and 8 pedestrians injured in that time.
The council's now set to discuss a proposed £4.4 million scheme for the roundabout, which would include one-lane entry and exit, and pedestrian and cycle crossings on each arm.
Cllr Graham Plant, Cabinet Member for Highways, Infrastructure and Transport at Norfolk County Council said:
”Heartsease roundabout is unacceptably dangerous in its current configuration. Drivers find it difficult to find gaps in the traffic and those on foot or on a bike have real difficulty getting across safely.
“We need to make it safer and easier for everyone to get across this junction and this scheme finally offers some solutions.”
The scheme would include a realignment of the roundabout to make it easier to navigate, and there'd be a single lane entry and exit on each arm, to help reduce excessive speeding, driver confusion and hesitation.
The scheme would also see improvements to crossing facilities with zebra crossings for pedestrians and cyclists on all arms of the roundabout.
Cllr John Fisher, Local Member for Woodside said:
"Over the years I have received many requests from local residents for improvements to pedestrian crossing at this roundabout to provide safer access to the shops, so I welcome these proposals. They are long overdue."
What do residents think?
The proposals were put to local residents in November last year as part of a public consultation, which received 499 responses.
The consultation survey showed that there was a split in opinion, with similar numbers of people saying they support the overall aims of the project (46%) as the number saying they didn’t (47%).
Following the consultation, the council put forward a number of changes to the original design based on the feedback they received.
These include the proposal for a 20mph speed limit on the approach to the roundabout to discourage excessive speeds, and greater separation between those walking and cycling.
The proposals will be considered at the Transport for Norwich Advisory Committee on 31 May 2023.
The scheme will then go to the cabinet member for a decision to proceed.