A "notorious" city roundabout that has seen dozens of accidents in recent years is set for major improvements under a £4m scheme that will be considered next week.

The Heartsease Fiveways roundabout has been blighted by a poor safety record with 33 recorded accidents between July 2011 and November 2022, including injuries to 15 cyclists and 8 pedestrians.

The £4,437,176 Norfolk County Council scheme would include a realignment of the roundabout to make it easier to navigate, as well as changes to the lanes that would help to reduce driver confusion and hesitation.

The junction would have one clear lane around the roundabout, with a single-lane entry and exit on each arm with the aim to reduce excessive speeding.

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The scheme would also see significant improvements to crossing facilities with zebra crossings for pedestrians and cyclists on all arms of the roundabout.

Councillor Graham Plant, cabinet member for Highways, Infrastructure and Transport 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."

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The proposal for a safer roundabout was put to local residents in November last year as part of a public consultation which received nearly 500 responses.

The consultation showed that there was a split in opinion, with 46pc for and 47pc against. 

Members of Norwich Cycling Campaign criticised the changes, saying say the scheme is a missed opportunity and that the authority should have pushed ahead with plans for a segregated cycle path and priority for pedestrians and cyclists over drivers.

The proposals will be considered at the Transport for Norwich Advisory Committee on May 31 and will then go to the cabinet member for a decision to proceed.