Making campus a safer place
THE University of Otago is trying to create a safer environment after some near misses on campus involving cyclists and pedestrians.
Property services division director Barry McKay said changes included new rules on cycling and vehicle access, and reducing speed limits.
This year, 10kmh signs and signs telling cyclists to dismount had been set up at bridges over the Leith and, although the signs were not aimed at skateboarders, they were following the signs, too, which was a good thing, he said.
The university, which became the first in New Zealand to sign a UN sustainability accord earlier this year, still wanted to encourage cycling and skateboarding as sustainable modes of transport.
‘‘We want to move cyclists to particular routes, close to where we’ve got cycle stands,’’ Mr McKay said.
Bollards had also been introduced at St David St, to stop unauthorised vehicles entering the campus.
Drivers of authorised vehicles had swipe cards which they could use to lower the bollards, and drivers of unauthorised ones could call Campus Watch from a call box beside the bollards, to ask for them to be lowered.
All the building projects at the university now included facilities such as cycle racks, showers and storage lockers for people who walked or cycled to work.
It was difficult to tell whether the number of students driving to the uni versity had increased, since the campus had always been busy, Mr McKay said.
At 5pm or 6pm the car parks were often occupied.
Mr McKay said the university had also updated its smokefree and ‘‘no vaping’’ signs, to make it clear the campus was completely smoke and vapefree.