bus access into Norwich city centre comes a step closer on Monday 7
July when work is scheduled to start to make changes on Chapel Field North.
The project is one of three key 'Transport for Norwich' schemes being carried out this year that will make bus journeys into the heart of Norwich faster and more reliable, while removing general traffic from some of the city's busiest shopping streets.
 Work on creating a bus lane up (southbound) Grapes Hill, Norwich Inner Ring
Road, is well advanced. This will help buses avoid queues at the Grapes Hill roundabout, making journeys quicker and more reliable.
 The next link will be created through the work on Chapel Field North. This will provide a new, easier bus route into the city centre by making the street twoway. General traffic will only have local access (as far as Chantry car park, with access to disabled bays on Brigg Street), but buses, taxis and bicycles will be able to carry on into Rampant Horse Street towards Red Lion Street.
 Finally, general traffic will be removed from St Stephens Street and Surrey
Street (from All Saints Green to St Stephens). Altogether the three linked projects will cost around £1.7M.
Cllr Bert Bremner, County Council representative on the Norwich Highways Agency
Committee, said: "I fully support these changes which are incredibly important to the city centre - for businesses, shoppers and tourists, as well as bus passengers. We have got to do everything we can to maintain Norwich's place as one of the country's top retail centres, and these schemes will do just that by reducing conflict between through-traffic and pedestrians on some of the busiest shopping streets. The aim is to have the work complete in time for the run-up to Christmas, which is so important for shops."
Cllr Mike Stonard, Norwich City Council’s cabinet member for environment, development and transport, said: “This is great news for Norwich. A reduction in traffic in the city centre will not only make it a much more pleasant place to be for shoppers and cyclists, but it will help boost the reliability and efficiency of public transport services.”
“The changes in Chapel Field North are also a key component of a larger scheme that will reduce overall traffic levels across the city. This is something that is known to be a factor in boosting local economies through increased footfall to businesses.”
The work on Chapel Field North, starting on 7 July or soon afterwards, involves carriageway widening and resurfacing, and includes the removal of the pavement on the Chapelfield Gardens side of the road. An improved route through the Gardens has already been provided for walkers and cyclists - although pedestrians will also be able to use a wider pavement on the north side of Chapel Field North if they prefer.

The changes also involve making Cleveland Road and Bethel Street two-way, and work at Grapes Hill roundabout and on Cleveland Road will also begin around 7 July.
This will allow the permanent closure of the short, narrow Little Bethel Street to vehicles. There will also be enhanced bus stop facilities in Rampant Horse Street.
The works on Chapel Field North itself are expected to take 12-14 weeks to complete, and Chapel Field North will need to be temporarily closed to vehicles during this time, except for access to properties which will be from Little Bethel Street or Theatre Street. During the road closure, the exit from Little Bethel Street will be to
Theatre Street rather than to the roundabout.
Once the Cleveland Road work is sufficiently complete, the road will be opened for two-way traffic and this will allow for the permanent closure of Little Bethel Street, anticipated in September, and for work on the crossing near the junction with Chapel
Field North. The final traffic arrangements, including permanent two-way use of
Chapel Field North, will come into effect around mid-October.
Later this year the final stage in the city centre changes will take place with the permanent closure of St Stephens Street and part of Surrey Street (from St
Stephens to All Saints Green) to general traffic. Alterations at the bottom of
Westlegate, where all general traffic will have to turn right into Red Lion Street, are currently scheduled for September. Only cyclists will be able to proceed into
Rampant Horse Street from Westlegate.
All the changes are scheduled for completion by early November. This means that some of Norwich's main shopping streets will benefit from a major reduction in traffic in time for Christmas shopping. Norfolk County Council and Norwich City Council apologise for any inconvenience caused during the construction period.