Kaukajärvi junction plan removes crossings, reshapes bus stops at Juvankatu–Yrjöläntie

A new street plan would reorganise bus stops and remove some pedestrian crossings at the Juvankatu–Yrjöläntie junction in Kaukajärvi. The proposal goes before the city community committee next week, Tamperelainen reports.

One bus stop south of Yrjöläntie would be removed, while stops north of the junction are set for upgrades. Two pedestrian crossings in the junction area would be eliminated and two others would receive safety improvements. Saarenvainionkatu would switch from a yield triangle to a Stop sign to clarify right-of-way.

On Juvankatu, the west-side stop would be converted from a dedicated bus lane into a pull-in bay, leaving a single lane for southbound and right-turning vehicles. The south-side crossing by that stop would be redesigned so pedestrians cross only one lane at a time. A separate waiting area and a combined 3.5-metre walking and cycling path are planned. On the east side, a curbside stop would be converted into a traffic-separated bay and a nearby crossing narrowed.

The proposals respond to a Plusbus stop study, a spate of local accidents and residents' safety concerns. They build on earlier city work to upgrade stops for the Plusbus network and other local stop conversions, following the study to upgrade 191 Plusbus stops and recent conversions of lay-by stops into in-lane stops on other streets such as Pitkäniitynkatu and Nokiantie.