Ulster Street/Abbotsford Street intersection upgrade

This intersection has a high crash history with 31 recorded crashes in the past 10 years, resulting in 14 people sustaining injuries and two people being seriously injured. With four traffic lanes and a posted speed limit of 60km/h, it is difficult for pedestrians and bus passengers who need to cross the street. The existing bus stops on this section of road also don’t provide shelter, make it hard for people with disabilities to get on/off the bus and create delays for the high frequency Comet bus service.

The proposed changes aimed to create a calmer street environment that would reduce the risk and severity of crashes, improve pedestrian access to key community destinations including schools, kindergartens, motels, dairies and FMG Stadium Waikato, and provide a more comfortable and reliable experience for bus passengers.

What we proposed to do:

• install a raised crossing with traffic lights on Ulster Street in front of the Ulster Street Superette
• create a central median island on Ulster Street at the intersection with Abbotsford Street to prevent high-risk right-turning movements at the intersection
• install raised priority crossings for people walking and biking on both sides of Abbotsford Street
• install in-lane bus stops outside 222 and 231 Ulster Street
• remove the bus stops outside 194, 243 and 250 Ulster Street and replace with yellow ‘no stopping’ lines
• install bus stop islands and bus shelters outside 222 and 231 Ulster Street
• widen the footpath to a shared path at the intersection of Ulster Street and Abbotsford Street to create a safer space for people walking and biking
• install ramps to enable people on bikes to safely move between the existing bike lanes and new shared paths on Ulster Street and Abbotsford Street.

Please refer to the designs below for more detail about the planned changes.