To improve the safety of road users and organise unimpeded public transport, comprehensive changes will be implemented on Stryiska Street from house number 48 to Miklosha Street.
It involves the reconstruction of two intersections, with the financial participation of investors, and the arrangement of bus and trolleybus lanes. The city has previously developed a corresponding project with the German Society for International Cooperation GIZ. And today it was approved by the executive committee of the city council. The changes will be implemented in stages in certain areas, and work is scheduled to begin next year.
According to Oleh Zabarylo, Director of the Department of Urban Mobility and Street Infrastructure at Lviv City Council, separate lanes for buses and trolleybuses will be created mainly within the existing street width and without significant construction works, except for the intersection with Miklosz Street and Rubchak Street. Thus, in the direction away from the city centre, the public transport lane will be arranged along the entire section of Stryiska Street. And in the direction of the city centre, it will be arranged on the sections from Miklosha Street to Naukova Street and from Chmoly Street to Sakharov Street.
At the same time, it is important that the number of lanes for motorists on Stryiska Street will remain unchanged.
What will change at certain locations
For example, at the intersection of Stryiska and Miklosz streets, a separate lane for public transport will be built and a pedestrian zone with a bicycle lane will be arranged. This is necessary because it is impossible to increase the operating speed of buses within the existing street profile at this location. The construction works will be co-financed by the investor-developer who is building residential buildings nearby – Green Plaza Lviv LLC.
Furthermore, on the section from Vernadsky Street to Naukova Street in both directions, additional dedicated lanes for public transport are provided. They will be arranged by narrowing the existing lanes to the standard width. Thus, instead of the existing three 4-metre lanes in each direction, four 3-metre lanes will be introduced. This means that nothing will change for motorists: they will still have three lanes in both directions. Instead, public transport will have its own separate lanes, which will allow buses and trolleybuses to cover this section much faster, and passengers will save time on the road. This arrangement does not require any construction work – only new road signs and markings need to be installed.
The intersection of Stryiska and Rubchak streets will also be rebuilt and traffic management will be changed. In particular, the traffic lights at this intersection will be upgraded, pedestrian crossings with safety islands will be regulated on all sides, additional traffic lanes will be arranged on both sides of Stryiska Street, bicycle lanes and public transport stops will be arranged. Thus, this junction will become safe and comfortable for all road users. It is important that all the works will be financed by the investors who are building housing and commercial buildings nearby – Atrium Estate LLC.
In addition, an additional, third lane for public transport will be created in the direction of the city centre on the section from the house number 48 on Stryiska Street to Naukova Street. And a lane for public transport in the direction of the city centre in front of the intersection of Stryiska and Sakharova streets will be organised.
Why it will be more convenient for everyone
As explained by Pavlo Sirvatka, Deputy Head of the Lviv City Council’s Street Infrastructure Department, the project will allow for the separation of traffic flows, updated traffic lights, and make traffic more comfortable, faster, and safer for 15,000 private car drivers, 60,000 public transport passengers (this is the daily traffic for each of the two directions), pedestrians, and cyclists. In particular, with regard to public transport, buses and trolleybuses will be able to run with maximum adherence to schedules, become more predictable and reliable, and thousands of passengers will save 15-17 minutes during rush hours.
Why didn’t the previous dedicated lanes at this location work?
The city council notes that some residents may have some doubts about the feasibility of implementing this project. After all, they remember that the city already introduced dedicated lanes on a small part of Stryiska Street in 2020. And then this decision was not successful. The mayor’s office explained why this happened.
“Then they were arranged at the expense of existing lanes. That is, motorists were deprived of one lane in both directions, which made traffic at this location difficult. Also, the markings on the lanes, especially in the direction of the city centre, did not take into account all the needs of motorists. Soon, the public lanes were eliminated there.
But today’s approach is completely different. The same number of lanes will remain for motorists as it is now,” said Oleh Zabarylo, Director of the Department of Urban Mobility and Street Infrastructure.
What else does the concept of comprehensive changes envisage?
This project also provides for
- organisation of a left turn from Stryiska Street in the direction from the entrance to the city to Truskavetska Street simultaneously with pedestrian traffic on Stryiska Street, to reduce the flow of vehicles at the intersection of Stryiska and Naukova Streets;
- facilitating traffic in the direction from the region to the area of Yaneva Street by organising an additional left turn at the intersection of Stryiska and Volodymyr Velykyi streets;
- eliminate the emergency section at the exit from Luhanska Street to Stryiska Street in the direction of the city centre by moving from Luhanska Street to a section of the public transport lane;
- arranging in the future a new exit for large buses from the bus station to Stryiska Street in the direction of the region. The bus station plans to implement these works in the coming years.
Phasing of changes
The first stage is the section from Miklosz Street to Rubchak Street. The longest implementation period is required for the sections at the intersections with these two streets, as significant construction work is required there. Accordingly, the implementation of changes along this entire section depends on the reconstruction of these two intersections. The work is scheduled to begin next year.
The second stage will be the section from Volodymyr the Great to the house No. 48 on Stryiska Street.
According to Oleh Zabarylo, in order not to spend additional budget funds, the road marking works are planned to be carried out in the spring, when district administrations are scheduled to update them. “So they will already be doing it, guided by the new traffic management schemes. No additional funds are needed for this,” explained Oleh Zabarylo.
It should be added that the intersection of Stryiska and Heroiv Maidanu streets and the approaches to it are not included in the project scope, as this section depends on the future organisation of public space at the entrance to the Bohdan Khmelnytsky Park and Stryiskyi Park.
By the way, changes are also planned for the area roughly from Lytnoyi Street to Stryiskyi Market. However, this will be done as part of another separate project, which involves the reorganisation of Stryiska and Rustaveli streets in this area. More information about this project will be provided later.