A £2m plan to improve Oxford's busiest roundabout has been unveiled by planners.

Traffic lights are planned for the Green Road Roundabout in Headington along with a new lane straight through it, in the latest scheme aimed at reducing congestion. Only traffic on the A40 travelling from London towards Kidlington would be able to use the lane.

Because of its shape, the design has been nicknamed the Hamburger. Ironically, there is a McDonald's beside the roundabout.

The six-exit roundabout is the county's worst blackspot, although accidents there are rarely serious.

Dariusz Seroczynski, the county council's major projects manager, said: "This is a win-win situation, where we can reduce congestion and the number of accidents.

"At the same time, we will also be able to improve the service for buses travelling to and from the Thornhill park-and-ride, by giving them priority on the approaches to the roundabout.

"The hamburger method has been used a couple of times in the UK already, and we felt it would work well here. A flyover would cost £40m and has been dismissed because of the cost and the visual and environmental impact.

"We don't want to create another Spaghetti Junction."

Mr Seroczynski said the £2m plan could be completed by February 2005, following public consultation.

"We might even get some sponsorship from McDonald's," he said, jokingly.

Last year, the Highways Agency handed responsibility for the A40, from Wolvercote to the M40 junction, to the council, and consultants were hired to find a solution to one of Oxford's worst traffic problems.

Residents have campaigned for traffic lights for years.

Drivers on the Barton estate regularly have to wait 20 minutes to get on to the roundabout during the rush-hour, and vehicles in funeral corteges travelling to the crematorium in Bayswater Road are often split up.

City council leader Alex Hollingsworth, who represents the Barton and Sandhills ward, said that the plan should help them to negotiate the roundabout more easily.

He added: "There is a real fear factor with this roundabout, and I know drivers who will go miles out of their way to avoid it. The measures will reduce rat-running in the area and give buses extra priority."

The design does not include traffic signals on the Barton exit, but lights at the other four junctions should give Barton drivers sufficient time, council officers believe.

Drivers will be able to use slip roads to turn left from the London-bound A40 on to the eastern bypass towards Cowley, and turn left from the eastern bypass on to London Road towards Headington.

At the same time, traffic will be able to use a slip road to get from the Barton estate on to the London-bound A40.

Numerous options were considered by consultants Faber Maunsell, but transport officers at County Hall believe the hamburger design is the best solution. At the executive board meeting on March 4, they will recommend councillors approve the plan.

Contributions amounting to £50,000 from developers have already been set aside for the scheme.Tell us what you think.