Bulli traffic improvement proposal - Bulli and Thirroul traffic improvements

The proposal for Bulli includes:

1. Extended hours on existing clearways - Princes Highway between Station Street and Park Road in Bulli

The proposed extended clearways will operate from:

• 6:30am to 9:30am on weekdays (northbound direction)
• 3pm to 6pm on weekdays (southbound direction)
• 11am to 1pm on Saturday and public holidays (southbound direction)

The proposed extensions to clearways are in addition to existing clearway arrangements. All existing clearways would remain in place.

The extended clearways at Bulli would coordinate with other clearways on the Princes Highway, improving travel times for public transport, private vehicles and freight.

2. New parking spots and changes to existing carparks - Railway Street and Station Street

We propose:

1. Changing the southern end of Railway Street from two way traffic to one way traffic southbound and providing 90 degree angle parking on the eastern side of Railway Street and parallel parking on the western side of Railway Street. A new footpath would provide pedestrian access between the shops and carpark.
2. Increasing the capacity of the Bulli Station carpark by removing the central verge area and replacing it with about 10 extra car spaces. Additional work would include changing carpark traffic travel to one way northbound, and installing a concrete island at the car park entry.
3. Investigating additional 45 degree angle parking spaces on the northern side of Station Street. Two way traffic will be maintained on Station Street.
4. On-street parking be removed on the south side of Park Road.
5. Speed limit reduction on Railway Street and Station Street.

The proposal would increase the car parking spaces by about 20, to a total of over 140 spaces on Station Street, Railway Street, Park Road and the Princes Highway. This will offset the parking spaces lost during peak hour clearways.

Existing taxi zone spaces and the two existing disabled spaces at the Station Street carpark would be retained.

3. Prohibiting the right turn in and out of Station Street

Transport users will no longer be able to turn right into and out of Station Street. This would improve safety and reduce congestion at this intersection by stopping vehicles from queuing on the Princes Highway while they wait to turn right into Station Street as well as the associated lane changing.

4. Dedicated right turn arrow at Park Road traffic lights

A new right turn signal would be introduced at the traffic lights on the Princes Highway at Park Road. This would improve safety and reduce congestion at this intersection by providing road users with a dedicated right turn arrow. This would also accommodate the extra vehicles that would use the intersection after the right turn into Station Street is prohibited.

5. Princes Highway / Memorial Drive roundabout upgrade

We would reconfigure the existing roundabout to allow two lanes of traffic from the Princes Highway southbound to turn left into Memorial Drive.

6. Additional right turn lanes at Grevillea Park Road and Point Street

We would reconfigure the signalised intersections on the Princes Highway at Point Street and Grevillea Park Road to provide additional right turn lanes in addition to the two through lanes.

• What area does the project cover?
  The project covers the Princes Highway in Bulli from Point Street in the north to Memorial Drive in the south.
• How much parking will be lost?
  There will be no overall parking loss. The proposal would increase the car parking spaces by about 20, to a total of over 140 spaces on Station Street, Railway Street, Park Road and the Princes Highway. This will offset the parking spaces lost during peak hour clearways.

  Existing taxi zone spaces and the two existing disabled spaces at the Station Street carpark would be retained.

• Will you provide any offset parking as a result of the changes to clearway hours and other parking?
  We recognise that implementing additional clearway times will impact those who currently park on the Princes Highway to access goods and services from the Bulli Town Centre.

  To minimise impacts, we would:

  • Increase the capacity of existing public carparks, by changing carpark layouts and identifying where additional parking can be added.
  • Investigate side street parking options and review current parking restrictions including the provision of additional timed parking spaces.
  • We will continue to work with Wollongong City Council to identify options to offset parking.
• Are these the only improvements planned for Bulli?
  These proposals are the first stage of improvements planned for Bulli. Transport will continue to work closely with Council on projects that will make walking, cycling and public transport more convenient transport options, investigating improved local road connections and developing a master plan for the township. We will keep the community updated as work progresses.
• Does this project include a plan for a bypass of Bulli, or options to improve Bulli Pass?
  The project aims to identify improvements along the existing road and does not include the consideration of a bypass of Bulli or options to improve Bulli Pass.
• Is widening the Princes Highway at Bulli being considered?
  We are not considering widening the Princes Highway at Bulli. The area is well developed, so widening the road would be very difficult and would impact a large number of properties.
• How will the proposed changes impact the look and feel of the town centre?
  The proposal would maintain the look and feel of the historical town centre while enhancing the Bulli township by increasing the connection and accessibility between existing car parks and shops.
• What improvements will be made to connections for cyclists and pedestrians?

  We would be improving pedestrian and cyclist facilities such as constructing a new shared path along Railway Street to connect the train station to the shops.

  We are working closely with Wollongong City Council to develop options to support walking and cycling in the area and reducing traffic along the route.

• What is being done to address public transport in the area?

  The NSW Government has invested more than $5.3 billion in the More Trains More Services program, which includes delivering improvements for the T4 Eastern Suburbs & Illawarra Line, South Coast Line and T8 Airport & South Line.

  The More Trains, More Services program will simplify and modernise the rail network creating high capacity, turn up and go services for many customers. It means customers can expect more frequent train services, with less wait times, less crowding on a simpler and more reliable network. Customers using the South Coast rail line services between Wollongong and Sydney as well as express services at Wollongong, North Wollongong, Thirroul and Helensburgh can expect future service improvements as the MTMS Program is rolled out.

  As the program progresses, customers will be kept informed and have an opportunity to provide feedback on any proposed changes.

• Will you be improving access for emergency vehicles?
  Emergency vehicle access and response times are affected by issues related to right turn movements, on-street parking, traffic light phasing and general congestion. The proposal aims to reduce impacts to emergency services by improving safety and reducing congestion and travel times.

• Why are these changes needed?
  The Princes Highway at Bulli provides a key travel route between Wollongong, its northern suburbs and Sydney.

  The town centre at Bulli is experiencing increased road traffic and demand for access to the town centre. Traffic congestion and queuing is increasing in Bulli. This is often due to parked vehicles along the Princes Highway between Station Street and Park Road, as well as turning vehicles at Memorial Drive, Station Street and Park Road.

  To ensure the transport network continues to meet the needs of the growing population, we are proposing a number of options to help ease congestion and create more reliable journeys through Bulli.

• How did you come up with the proposal?
  The proposal has been developed following feedback from businesses, community members, key stakeholders and visitors during community consultation in late 2019.

  View more information about the 2019 consultation.

• Why has it taken so long to come back to the community after the initial consultation was carried out?
  Following the release of the Consultation Report in June 2020, the project team have reviewed the feedback and suggestions and have developed an option that can be progressed to final design.

  The proposal takes into account factors such as existing site constraints, traffic modelling data and feasibility criteria, which takes time to assess.

• What are the next steps for the project?
  A report summarising the feedback (PDF, 3.9Mb) received on the Bulli proposal during consultation in June and July 2021 is now available. Designs will then be refined before delivery of the work can start.

• Will the traffic improvement work be done all at once or in separate stages?
  The work will be delivered in stages to help minimise impacts to transport users and residents. Some parts of the proposal require more detailed design before they will be ready to implement.

  We will keep the community updated as we refine the proposal and designs and as we have more information about the delivery of the work.

• How will we be kept informed about this project?
  We will keep the community updated as the work progresses. Subscribe to receive project updates.

Download the Bulli traffic improvement FAQs

• Bulli traffic improvement project update
• Bulli traffic improvement proposal overview poster

• Bulli Feedback Summary Report