A city centre road is poised to get an £800,000 revamp to improve the area for walking and cycling.

One-way roads, a new 20mph zone and a segregated cycle lane are just some of the proposals put forward in a shake-up of Norwich's St Stephens Road and the surrounding areas.

St Stephens Road was used by almost 15,000 vehicles daily in 2020, according to the department for transport, down from almost 19,000 in 2019.

Norwich Evening News: Ipswich Road between Daniels Road and St Stephens RoadIpswich Road between Daniels Road and St Stephens Road (Image: Google Maps)

The proposals are the latest to be put forward as part of the Department for Transports Transforming Cities Fund, which has seen £32m awarded to the city for its roads network.

The transforming cities committee, which includes members of Norfolk, Norwich, Broadland and South Norfolk councils, will decide on Thursday if the scheme should go ahead.

Martin Wilby, Norfolk County council's cabinet member for highways, said: "The whole idea for the proposals is to improve the area for pedestrians, cyclists and all modes of transport - making it easier and safer for people to access the area.

"These are really positive proposals that have been through lots of consultations and have been adjusted to suit people's needs.

"This is a key part of Norwich, it's the entrance to the city for the south [of Norfolk], we need to make sure that it is easily accessible for visitors.

"These all help cut emissions and improve the air quality - that's something we're aiming to do across all the city."

A consultation for the plans was originally carried out in January and February which led to revisions, with further consultations in May and June.

There are 16 proposals to be put before the committee, including:

  • Closure of left turn into Grove Road from St Stephens Road
  • Restrict to one-way traffic on Grove Road heading towards the junction with St Stephens Road
  • Restrict to a 7.5-tonne weight limit on Grove Road, Victoria Street and Kingsley Road
  • Provide a two-way segregated cycle lane on Grove Road into the junction with St Stephens Road
  • Footway widening on Ipswich Road near to the Grove Road junction
  • Optimise traffic signals for pedestrians, cycles, buses and general traffic
  • Widen the existing pedestrian crossing on St Stephens Road
  • New 20mph zone on St Stephens Road
  • one-way traffic on Grove Avenue from Ipswich Road to Grove Walk