TRANSIT UPDATE: Traffic steady, van shuttle launched
By Communications Staff
November 16, 2009
Day one of London's first transit strike in nearly 30 years hasn't caused increased traffic congestion on Western's campus, according to Campus Community Police Service (CCPS).
Director of CCPS, Elgin Austen, says overall it has been a
good morning on campus.
"It's going very well this morning," he says,
noting the Aboutown buses (blue) have expanded their services on
campus and Londoners are not using campus as a throughway. "It
appears the general public are not coming through campus as much
today, which has helped to reduce any potential congestion."
Signs discouraging
non-campus bound traffic flow from travelling through the
university have been posted at the gates at Lambton Drive, as well
as Richmond Street gates and Philip Aziz Drive.
London drivers are being asked to steer clear of campus
streets for through travel. Signage discouraging through traffic is
posted at the Richmond Gates, Philip Aziz Drive and Lambton Drive
to minimize non-campus bound traffic flow.
This afternoon at 5:30 p.m. Western Community Vans will begin
running. Western has arranged to rent 47 vans to assist students
and employees in getting to and from campus. Western officials met
with the transit union and was assured the union does not wish to
interfere with student safety or the ability of students to
complete their academic requirements.
The free vans are meant to assist members of the Western
community who live more than a 30-minute walk from campus. The
university has arranged with local businesses to use their
properties for pick up and drop off. The vans will operate Mondays
through Thursdays (7:30 a.m. to 10:30 a.m., 1:30 to 3:30 p.m., 5:30
to 7:30 p.m. and 9 to 10:30 p.m.) on Fridays from 7:30 a.m. to
10:30 a.m. and 1:30 to 5 p.m.). The vans will not run on
weekends.
Vans will be driven by volunteers 25 years and older with
valid driver's licenses. Interested volunteer drivers can email
their interest to transitvolunteers@uwo.ca.
Click here to see the route map for the Western Community
Vans.
The university has set out two parking options for people who
do not normally drive to campus but will be doing so due to the
transit strike:
• Purchase a parking permit on a monthly basis. Obtain
information through Parking Services. http://www.uwo.ca/parking/.
• Park in a coin-operated lot. Huron Flats and Althouse
North are $4 coin entry lots 24/7. All other lots require a permit
before 4 p.m.
Acting Manager of Parking Services, Chris Bumbacco, says
parking in the campus lots have run smoothly today. As of 10 a.m.
there were well over 300 spaces available in the Althouse North lot
and more than 150 space in Huron Flats. He adds the Springett Lot
was at typical capacity.
Those carpooling to
the university on Monday received a pleasant surprise at
Westminster Hall parking lot as attendant Louise Fahlgren handed
out $2 Tim Horton's gift certificates to drivers with three
or more people in their vehicle. As part of the initiative to help
drivers during the strike, Parking Services also paid for half of
the $4 parking fee at coin-operated lots on Monday for cars with
three or more people.
Monthly parking passes are available for purchase through
Parking Services. Campus parking maps can be found at http://www.uwo.ca/parking/map.html.
All normal parking regulations and enforcement are still in
effect.
During the strike, Western is remaining open and classes will
continue. Students are expected to continue attending classes
during a transit strike. Employees will be required to report to
work unless alternative arrangements have been discussed with their
leader.
"We are a community at Western and it is our hope our faculty,
staff and students will be able to assist each other during what
will certainly be challenging days for some people," says
Gitta Kulczycki, Western's Vice-President (Resources and
Operations). "To that end, we call on the goodwill of people
willing to help others to stay safe, and to help our students meet
their academic goals."
Regular updates on Western's response to the transit
strike will be posted at http://communications.uwo.ca/transitstrike/.
Please visit the site regularly and refresh your browser for the
latest information.
In addition to these options, Western administration and the
University Students' Council have put several contingency plans in
place to minimize disruption. The plans include:
Share A Ride program: A password-protected website has been developed to help students, faculty and staff arrange rides with other members of the campus community who are traveling to and from campus. Students can register to participate in the program at https://student.uwo.ca/ while faculty and staff can register https://myhr.uwo.ca/.
Share A Ride program: A password-protected website has been developed to help students, faculty and staff arrange rides with other members of the campus community who are traveling to and from campus. Students can register to participate in the program at https://student.uwo.ca/ while faculty and staff can register https://myhr.uwo.ca/.
Flag A Ride program: Members of the campus
community who wish to participate will receive a flag/tag to mark
their vehicle or their backpack to identify themselves as a
student, faculty or staff member willing to provide or receive a
ride to and from campus. Students should bring their student ID
cards to InfoSource in the UCC atrium to register for the program.
Faculty and staff should bring their ID card to Room 5100 Human
Resources in the Support Services Building to register. For more
details on this program, visit http://www.mustangsmovingmustangs.ca.
On-campus shuttle service expansion: The
King's University College/Brescia University College campus
shuttle service has been expanded in conjunction with the
university. The service is now open to all Western students and
will operate Monday through Friday from 8 am to 11:30 pm. The
shuttles will run approximately once every 10 minutes at each stop.
Shuttle route maps and stops can be found at the following
links:
Bus
5-6 route (PDF, 5.19MB)
Bus
7 route (PDF, 1.19MB)
Walking: If you live within a few kilometres
of campus, consider walking. For those who may have to walk at
night, walk with friends and stay in well-lit
areas. Additional safety tips can be found at www.uwo.ca/police/beingaware.htm.
Campus Community Police will increase patrols during the hours
of darkness. Western Foot
Patrol's volunteer escort numbers will be at full
strength and will accommodate as many persons as possible.
Biking: Information on cycling in London,
including bike paths and lanes throughout the city, can be found at
http://www.london.ca/d.aspx?s=/Transportation/bikepage.htm.
Register your bicycle with the Campus Community Police in Room 57,
Stevenson-Lawson Building. Information on keeping your bike secure
on campus can be found at http://www.uwo.ca/police/bikesecurity.htm.
The USC is providing a free Bike Check service Monday to
Friday from 8 a.m. to 12:30 a.m. which will be available to all
students, faculty and staff. Simply bring your bike to the UCC
Gymnasium and it will be stored until you return to pick it up.
Staff will be on duty at all time to ensure security. Coat check
tags will be issued to claim your bike.
Rachel Fairholm, a fourth-year English and
Classical Studies student, usually takes the bus to school, but on
Monday she rode her bicycle and checked it in at the temporary bike
depot set up in the University Community Centre gymnasium during
the transit strike.
CONTACT INFORMATION Students with questions
concerning the transit strike can call the Office of the
Registrar's help line at 519-661-2100. Staff and faculty are
encouraged to speak with their supervisors if they have concerns
about how the transit strike will affect them.
If you have questions, please email
transitquestions@uwo.ca.
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