‘I have literally heard no one happy with this development’, ‘shameless anti-student policy’, ‘mediocre business’ and ‘funny how seriously the UT takes bicycle parking while the smoking ban is not enforced’. A selection of the rather rude reactions to an Instagram video from the UT to make it clear to students where they can park their bicycles since the parking facilities on the O&O square have been removed.
‘Safety and accessibility’
“We are not doing this to bully employees and students,” responds Nico-Tom Pen, real estate portfolio holder at the Campus & Facility Management department. ‘It is genuinely about safety and accessibility. The square was messy, bicycles were parked everywhere. And therefore also in places where emergency services must be able to access in the event of an emergency, or where disabled people must be able to pass. Perhaps a bit heavy, but you don’t want your bike to get in the way of the emergency services. That is why we ask for understanding.’
Pen says that not fewer, but more parking facilities have been placed around the O&O square. ‘The reason we didn’t implement this new policy sooner is because we didn’t have enough places within comfortable walking distance. We have gone from 2700 places to approximately 3350 around the square, with the important additions being the parking facilities behind the Citadel and Ravelijn and at the High Pressure Lab. We have also added extra places between Carré and Hall B. If we hadn’t had the facilities in order, we wouldn’t have asked people to do it.’
‘Wasted space’
On site, on the O&O square, the new policy leads to varying reactions among students, according to a tour. Iruni Asgiri, a Bachelor’s student in Communication Sciences, understands this, even though she is still looking for a seat five minutes before her lecture while standing in front of the Waaier. ‘I think it is a reasonable decision, last year the square was full of bicycles and it was very annoying to pass by. Then arrive a little earlier in the morning to find a spot.’
‘Now it feels like there’s a lot of wasted space’
Fellow student Caterina Ruiz has a different opinion. ‘They removed a lot of stables from the building where we have most of our lectures. The stables at Ravelijn were really spacious and now it feels like there is a lot of wasted space.’ She noticed that while there is plenty of space in the top bike racks, many students don’t know how to park there. ‘It would be very helpful if the university could provide clear instructions on how to place our bikes in the top bike rack.’
Derk Jan Weening, Electrical Engineering student, occasionally uses the top floor of the double-layer bicycle racks. ‘I have no problem with that, but I prefer to put my bike at the bottom. That takes a little less effort for students.’ According to Weening, the new policy is ineffective, especially the deployment of so-called bicycle stewards on the square. ‘After they’ve been gone for a few minutes, people simply leave their bikes in those places again. I don’t know why this policy is in place, but I heard it is to make the campus look nicer.”
‘Students prefer to park their bicycles in front of the door. But that’s possible, as long as you know where’
Parking in front of the door
The square must certainly be ‘a more pleasant place to meet’, Pen says. ‘It looks nice now grittyWe are going to change that. There will be more meeting places, in locations where safety is not compromised. But that’s going to take some time.’ In the meantime, he insists that there are indeed enough bicycle sheds, even right in front of the door. ‘I understand that it is said that students like convenience, are in a hurry and prefer to park their bicycle in front of the door. But that’s possible, as long as you know where. I am specifically talking about the stables between Hall B and Carré, from there you can walk straight in through the back door. I admit that we can add more clarity to the signage here and there, and we will do that. But I would also say: cycle around the square to see where the places are. There are plenty of them.’
The UT will tighten the measures from October 23, Pen said. Then those bicycles that are parked incorrectly are taken to the storage facilities at the Spiegel. You can then pick up your bicycle there yourself. “We want to avoid frustration, so we hope for understanding because of the arguments for safety and accessibility,” Pen emphasizes. ‘We have to reprogram ourselves somewhat, I hope that in the foreseeable future we will no longer know anything other than the situation as it is now.’
