campus campaign
Hugh,
Hi, I'm a final-year undergraduate from London.
I have noticed a bad development here at the University of Nottingham.
This year, many people cycling to the science end of campus have discovered a serious shortage of cycle spaces (only about 50 racks) compared with 150 car spaces in the same area. Gavin from Estates Office claims to have spent £30,000 on extra racks outside the main library but it's still not enough to keep up with surging demand. Security patrols have been heavily stickering "incorrectly-parked" bikes on lamp-posts, trees, and railings.
SECURITY NOTICE
CYCLES MUST BE LEFT IN
THE DESIGNATED
CYCLE RACK/SECURE STORES
FURTHER BREACHES WILL RESULT
IN THE CYCLE BEING REMOVED
BY SECURITY TO SAFE STORAGE
NO RESPONSIBILITY WILL BE
ACCEPTED BY THE UNIVERSITY
FOR ANY DAMAGE CAUSED TO
THE CYCLE OR SECURING DEVICE
DURING REMOVAL
Using their notebooks to record frame-numbers, they threaten to remove the bike after 3 "BREACHES". Parking is the primary (anti-)cycle-campaign coming up on campus. Student press are uninterested but I'll try and get some good photos soon.
Note that anyone wishing to visit the security office can park their bike on the racks under the arch under of the ramp leading up to the classics and New Theatre building (if there is a spare space). Cycling is banned through the courtyard of the Trent Building.
In other news, the young Green candidate MP for Nottingham South has been involved in the re-establishment of bike-soc.
Everyone agrees cycle-parking is a disgrace, but what should we do about it? This is a useful forum to discuss how a student union policy, campaign, or transport survey could be put together.
Comments
I read with interest this
I read with interest this message from a student. I feel that a hotchpotch of cycles on lamp posts etc is all part of the ambiance of a University campus and does no harm whatsoever. Cycles should never be left anywhere which causes obstruction to pedestrians of course but that is a comment which applies to any place, not just the campus.
At the moment nobody is winning. Staff and students should be encouraged to use bicycles yet here at University Park the cycle parking and car parking facilities are inadequate. Visitors to the campus should be welcome but visitor car parking is a nightmare. Transport between campuses via the hopper bus is not easy with buses often too full to take all the passengers at the bus stop. Yet if we use bicycles or cars for meetings or lectures at the other campuses we are stalled because there is a lack of parking facilities and we are back to square one and facing hostile notices from the Estates Department,
The only answer would be to provide more extensive, covered bicycle parking facilities and hope that when (or rather if) the City Council implements the Workplace Parking Levy, more staff will use bicycles instead of cars and visitors to the University can park without getting clamped.
Cheers
Angie