Transport for Norwich has been awarded £32m from the UK Department for Transport’s (DfT) Transforming Cities fund to improve an area of the city for both pedestrians and public transport users.
Following allocation of the funding, Norfolk County Council is seeking the public’s opinion on improvement works St Stephens Street, which includes wider pavements, new bus shelters and more widely available public transport information.
The council said these changes aim to reduce congestion with buses able to access bus stops more easily and improve air quality by creating more space for those using public transport.
Councillor Martin Wilby, Norfolk County Council’s cabinet member for highways, infrastructure and transport, said: “As a busy area for retail, key transport hub and gateway to the city centre, improvements to St Stephens Street are long overdue.
“Bus waiting areas can easily become crowded, which restricts pedestrian movements and increasing levels of accommodation in this area of the city means this problem will only get worse in the longer term.
‘Pavement space on Surrey Street is also quite restrictive for pedestrians and bus delays caused by the current street layout on St Stephens Street impacts passengers, bus operators and contributes to city centre pollution levels.
“All proposals within our Transforming Cities programme are based on a vision to invest in clean and shared transport creating a healthy environment, increasing social mobility and boosting productivity through enhanced access to employment and learning.”
