Author Archives: Miriam Sandiford

Stagecoach discounted bus journeys within Canterbury

University of Kent staff and students can purchase discounted bus tickets within the Canterbury megarider zone on day and week tickets.

Show your staff or student KentOne card to the driver to receive the discounted prices. You can pay for your ticket with cash, contactless card or via a smartphone payment such as Apple Pay.

Ticket Journey Student and staff price Public price
Canterbury dayrider Unlimited travel for one day within Canterbury megarider zone £3.10

 

(£2.90 on the app)

 £4.20
Canterbury megarider week Unlimited travel for 7 consecutive days from the date of purchase within the  Canterbury megarider zone £10.90

 

(£10
on the app)

 £14.5

The discounted tickets are even cheaper if you purchase through the Stagecoach app. The app also provides journey planning and live bus tracking so you can check how long your bus will be.

For more information about bus routes, timetables and all of the Stagecoach bus discounts available, please see our Canterbury bus webpage

 

Thank you- large Applicant Day parking

 

 

 

Thank you to everyone who car shared, used alternative transport, or worked from home on Wednesday’s Applicant Day.

We really appreciate everyone’s efforts to car share, use alternative transport and work from home. We would encourage everyone to consider these for the following large Applicant Days as your efforts really helped with the traffic management.

Large Applicant Days

Applicant Days are essential for recruiting new students to the University. The larger Applicant Days tend to be held on Wednesdays and Saturdays in the Spring term.

A significant number of bays (100-225 based on requests for parking from bookings) will be reserved in Rutherford and Tyler Court car parks to assist with parking on the following Applicant Days as requested by Enrolment Management Services:

  • Wednesday 20 February – 103 bays for applicant day and 26 bays for PDO event (confirmed)
  • Wednesday 27 February
  • Wednesday 6 March
  • Wednesday 13 March
  • Wednesday 20 March
  • Wednesday 27 March
  • Wednesday 3 April

Please note that the locations are subject to change. Keep up to date with the Transport Team newsletter and events calendar which we will update as details are confirmed.

Refer to our interactive parking map for parking areas.

Smaller Applicant Days

Up to 40 bays (based on requests for parking from bookings) will normally be reserved in Giles Lane car park (area behind Woolf) on the smaller Applicant Days to assist with parking as requested by Enrolment Management Services.  These events are held on weekdays and Saturdays in the Spring term. The weekday dates are below:

  • Thursday 21 February
  • Friday 22 February
  • Thursday 28 February
  • Thursday 7 March
  • Friday 8 March
  • Thursday 14 March
  • Thursday 4 April
  • Friday 5 April

When numbers are confirmed they will be updated on the events calendar.

Medway Dr Bike free bicycle check-up

Fancy getting your bike checked over for free? Visit Dr Bike Thursday 21 February outside the Student Hub 11:30-14:30.

Dr Bike are trained bicycle mechanics who regularly come onto campus to check and adjust your bike for free. The service is available to University of Kent and University of Greenwich students and staff.

Additional work will be quoted individually but will always be at a special reduced rate.

For more information visit our Dr Bike web page

If you do not own a bike, check out the Rent & Ride cycle hire scheme.

Large Applicant Days (Parking and road update)

Canterbury campus

Large Applicant Days

Applicant Days are essential for recruiting new students to the University. The larger Applicant Days starting from next week tend to be held on Wednesdays and Saturdays in the Spring term.

A significant number of bays (100-225 based on requests for parking from bookings) will be reserved in Rutherford and Tyler Court car parks to assist with parking on the following Applicant Days as requested by Enrolment Management Services:

  • Wednesday 13 February-137 bays reserved (confirmed)
  • Wednesday 20 February
  • Wednesday 27 February
  • Wednesday 6 March
  • Wednesday 13 March
  • Wednesday 20 March
  • Wednesday 27 March
  • Wednesday 3 April

While we do not expect parking on campus to be completely full, it may be helpful to consider car sharing or using alternative modes of transport where reasonably possible on the large Applicant Days. If you are able to work from home and wish to do so, please arrange this with your manager.

Please note that the locations are subject to change. Keep up to date with the Transport Team newsletter and events calendar which we will update as details are confirmed.

Refer to our interactive parking map for parking areas.

Smaller Applicant Days

Up to 40 bays (based on requests for parking from bookings) will normally be reserved in Giles Lane car park (area behind Woolf) on the smaller Applicant Days to assist with parking as requested by Enrolment Management Services. These events are held on weekdays and Saturdays in the Spring term. The weekday dates are below:

  • Thursday 14 February
  • Thursday 21 February
  • Friday 22 February
  • Thursday 28 February
  • Thursday 7 March
  • Friday 8 March
  • Thursday 14 March
  • Thursday 4 April
  • Friday 5 April

When numbers are confirmed they will be updated on the events calendar.

Temporary road closure- Rough Common road

From 18 February for approximately 2 weeks Rough Common road will closed at, and including, the northern junction with Ross Gardens to allow gas mains replacement works to be carried out. The alternative route is via Palmars Cross Hill, A2050 Harbledown Bypass, London Road, A290 Whitstable Road, St Thomas Hill and Whitstable Road.

Medway campus

Medway Applicant Days are held on Wednesdays and a Saturday in the Spring term. The remaining weekday dates are below:

  • Wednesday 20 February
  • Wednesday 20 March
  • Wednesday 3 April

Visitors are directed to park in the Historic Dockyard car park on these days.

Journalism and Social Work Selection Days are also held at the Medway campus and parking is in the Drill Hall Library car park. Bays are not reserved for these events.

 

 

Why use the Rent & Rent bike hire scheme?

Rent & Ride (R&R) are working in partnership with the University of Kent to provide a bicycle hire scheme at Medway specifically designed for students and staff.

Simple booking and registration– All you need to do is download the R&R app on your smart phone and register. Once you have registered you can easily start your ride by hiring the nearest bike to you.

Easy to ride and park– You can end your ride at any time by parking and locking the bike in any cycle rack in one of the operational areas below (that does not obstruct traffic or violate any law).

Budget friendly– The cycle hire scheme is an affordable way to travel between and around the campuses at Medway.

Comfortable– R&R is a customer-focused bike hire scheme, with comfortable seats, well-maintained brakes and hardware. The bikes can also be easily adjusted.

Where are the operational parking areas?

The operational parking areas for R&R hire bikes are:

  • Universities at Medway campus
  • Chatham Historic Dockyard
  • Liberty Quays

You must park, lock the bike and finish the trip within one of the three operational areas. Failing to comply may result in a charge. We are awaiting confirmation from Rent and Ride on the exact operational areas.

If you have any questions please email R&R support@rentandride.org or visit www.rentandride.org

If you would like to provide feedback to the University, please email TransportTeam@kent.ac.uk

Accessible parking bay reminder

Please remember that some staff and students have University of Kent virtual accessible bay permits because they are entitled to as a Government Blue Badge holder or because they have received permission for health or medical reasons. They do not necessarily need to display a physical Government Blue Badge.

Anyone parking in accessible bays without having the appropriate registered virtual permit or without displaying a Government Blue Badge may be issued with a Parking Charge Notice.

Some people who require accessible bays may:

  • Have no other option but to drive and park on campus
  • Require the larger bays to get out of their vehicle, for example fully opening the car door if they are in a wheelchair or on crutches
  • Need to move their vehicle to other accessible bays multiple times within one day
  • Need to park as close to their building as possible

Visit our accessible parking webpage for more information.

Benefits of the Campus Shuttle service

We hope you are enjoying the changes to the Campus Shuttle. The changes were made based on results from the shuttle survey, completed by over 450 students and staff. Summary of the changes:

  • passengers can now board the Campus Shuttle at Liberty Quays for travel to Pembroke campus and the Dockyard (Western Avenue)
  • to allow for passenger boarding time without losing the hourly service, the shuttle now only stops once on the Canterbury campus, at Keynes bus stop
  • the service no longer stops at Darwin bus stop
  • the on-the-hour timetable continues with some changes to peak travel times to improve reliability
  • change of route: Keynes- Liberty Quays- Dockyard (Western Avenue)- Pembroke- Dockyard (Western Avenue)- Liberty Quays- Keynes
  • the new booking system allows you to book a seat on the day
  • there are two new, larger Campus Shuttle vehicles (53 and 34 seaters) wrapped with a University of Kent design

There are other benefits of the service, the Campus Shuttle:

  • is a free, regular service
  • runs on weekdays and weekends
  • has on-board Wi-Fi
  • has on-board USB charging points
  • new booking system is mobile-friendly

If you would like to provide feedback on the Campus Shuttle please contact TransportTeam@kent.ac.uk

Understanding snow clearing

Snow ploughs only work effectively when snow is more than 5cm (2inches) deep. If snow fall reaches this level, Grounds Maintenance will use a combination of snow ploughs and other methods to clear the snow as snow ploughs cannot go over road humps or similar traffic calming measures.

Grit does not melt snow and therefore grit cannot be applied on top of deep snow. Refer to understanding gritting for more information on how gritting works.

Similar to how local authorities manage snow clearance, the Estates department will aim to clear all University of Kent roads and main footpaths before starting on other areas across the campuses. Please refer to the University’s Snow and Ice Policy for more information.

 

Understanding gritting

Timing is everything with gritting. If you go too early, you waste the grit, because it lands on a dry road and is blown away by the displaced air as vehicles drive past. If it is raining heavily then it just washes away. Ideally the grit goes down on a damp surface and starts to stick, but if you are too late the surface is already frozen and the salt has to work harder to be effective but it will prevent big sheets of ice forming.

The salt is hygroscopic which means that it attracts moisture from the air and it only becomes activated when it is ‘trafficked’. When the grit is driven over the salt grinds down and mixes with the moisture it attracts and becomes the ideal brine, a salty water, which is when it is most effective.

Similar to how local authorities manage gritting, the Estates department will grit all University of Kent roads and main footpaths before starting on other areas across the campuses. For more information see the University’s Snow and Ice Policy

Learn about snow clearing.

Car park and road updates

Canterbury campus

Central visitor P&D car park- January 23-25

Number of bays closed to permit holders: 15 bays

Reason for bay closure: to assist the Gulbenkian for their children’s show Hippity Hop

Requested by: The Gulbenkian

Darwin car park – January 24

Number of bays closed to permit holders: 25

Reason for bay closure: to assist Kent Union with companies attending the Student Housing Fair

Requested by:  Kent Union

Giles Lane car park- January 24

Number of bays closed to permit holders: approx. 19

Reason for bay closure: to assist with the Applicant Day

Requested by: Recruitment and Admissions Office

Giles Lane car park- January 25

Number of bays closed to permit holders: 35 bays

Reason for bay closure: to assist with parking for the University Court Meeting

Requested by: Council Secretariat

Giles Lane car park- January 30

Number of bays closed to permit holders: approx. 35

Reason for bay closure: to assist with the Applicant Day

Requested by: Recruitment and Admissions Office

Giles Lane car park- January 31

Number of bays closed to permit holders: approx. 30

Reason for bay closure: to assist with the Applicant Day

Requested by: Recruitment and Admissions Office

Giles Lane car park- February 2

Number of bays closed to permit holders: approx. TBC

Reason for bay closure: to assist with the Applicant Day

Requested by: Recruitment and Admissions Office

 

Medway Campus

Mast Pond car park- January 24

Number of bays closed to permit holders: No bays will be closed. Parking will be in the Mast Pond car park at the Historic Dockyard

Reason for bay closure: To assist with the Applicant Day

Requested by: Recruitment and Admissions Office