Category Archives: News

Have you considered car sharing?

There are plenty of reasons to car share:

  • It can save you money
  • It can reduce pollution from car emissions
  • It can reduce the use of limited fossil fuels
  • It gives you company on your journey
  • It can reduce local congestion on roads and in car parks
  • It can be safer (e.g. having company if you breakdown) and less stressful than doing all the driving yourself
  • You can network and make new friends

If you would like to try car sharing but have no one to car share with, try searching our car share database UniShare South East which we share with Canterbury Christ Church University and the University of Greenwich.

Don’t forget that if you have a car share parking permit you can park in the trial pink zone car share bays within the Estates car park. Find out more about car sharing on campus.

Dr Bike free bicycle check-ups

What is Dr Bike?
Get your bike checked and adjusted for free by ‘Dr Bike’. The Dr Bike service is provided by Chris and his team at ByCycle, working with the Transport Team, Estates department. Additional work will be quoted individually but will always be at a special reduced rate.

The Dr Bike service supports the UN Sustainable Development Goals 3 (good health and well-being) and 11 (sustainable cities and communities). See Estates Sustainability to learn more about the goals.

Canterbury campus
You can find Dr Bike at the Cycle Hub by the Pavilion on Park Wood road every Wednesday during term-time 08.30-15.30.

Medway Campus
Dr Bike visits Medway campus on a monthly basis during term-time. Dr Bike will next be at Medway campus Thursday 15 November 2018. Find Dr Bike outside the Student Hub 11.30-14.30 for your free bike check-up. The service is available to University of Greenwich and University of Kent students and staff.

For more information visit our Dr Bike webpage

Bus apps and mobile ticketing

Did you know that Stagecoach and Arriva have bus apps with live bus updates and mobile ticketing?  Stagecoach buses operate in Kent and East Sussex (including Canterbury campus) and Arriva buses operate in Medway, Kent and East Sussex (including Medway campus).

Features of the Stagecoach bus app

  • Check live bus times and follow your journey so you know when to get off
  • Mobile ticketing including day and weekly University of Kent discounted tickets. Load and pay for your tickets and then activate them when needed on the bus
  • A “what’s nearby” feature to see which buses or bus stops are nearby
  • Save your favourite bus stops, buses and journeys to make your journey planning easier
  • Journey planner and timetables
  • Available for iPhone and Android

See the Stagecoach bus app webpage for more information.

 

Features of the Arriva bus app

  • Check live bus times- tells you if there is a delay to the timetable with “+” for additional minutes
  • Live bus map to see where your bus is located in real-time
  • Links to separate M-tickets app for mobile ticketing which includes 4 weekly, 12 weekly and annual University of Kent discounted tickets. See our webpage for instructions and promotional code to receive discounted rates
  • Save your favourite bus stops to make planning your journey easier
  • Journey planner and timetables
  • Available for iPhone and Android

See the Arriva bus app webpage for more information.

Winter weather travel information

As the weather starts to get colder, please ensure you are familiar with the University’s ‘Pay during periods of severe weather conditions/ major transport disruption’ policy and procedure to understand what to do during adverse weather. Remember that weather can change at any time. Be prepared for this before you start your journey.

Driving
Ensure that you and your vehicle are prepared for driving in adverse weather conditions. Read some top tips to prepare for driving during the winter and don’t forget to plan your journey before you leave so you are aware of any disruptions.

Public transport, cycling and walking

  • Plan your journey, check if there are problems on public transport or local roads
  • Delay your journey, if possible, to allow temperatures to rise and ice or snow to melt
  • Avoid footways in the shade. It takes longer for ice or snow to melt in the shade
  • Always wear appropriate footwear and reflective/bright clothing
  • Ensure that you have a torch or lights so motorists and others can see you when walking or cycling

Plan your journey and be prepared for times of adverse weather.

Parking and road updates

Change of email address

We have transitioned to TransportTeam@kent.ac.uk email address for all transport and parking queries. We have been using this email address for over a year and have made the decision to remove the old parking email (parking@kent.ac.uk) fully. Emails sent to the old account will no longer be forwarded on so please ensure you are using the correct email address.

Canterbury updates

  • Monday 29 October- Friday 2 November- Approximately 9 bays will be reserved to remove overgrown shrubs and to replace turf, as requested by Estates Grounds Maintenance.

Medway updates

  • There are no known car park disruptions to Medway campus for the next two weeks. Any disruptions that we are made aware of will be updated on the transport events calendar

Campus Shuttle update

Trial stop near Dockyard

We are working with The Kings Ferry to monitor the usage and effect of the new stop located on Western Avenue adjacent to the Historic Dockyard. Western Avenue (google maps) was chosen as the stop as this is a public bus stop which minimises delays to the timetable.

The Dockyard (Mast Pond area) and the two bus stops located on Dock Road were investigated as stop locations but were found unsuitable to operate an hourly service by The Kings Ferry. The extra distance required for all of these stops would add on a lot more time and would mean that the service could not operate within the hour. The stop within the Dockyard is also used as a coach stop which reduces space for the shuttle vehicles to turn around; this was of particular concern in relation to the larger coach and health and safety reasons.

We are currently awaiting information from The Kings Ferry of the actual timings of the route compared with the timetable. Once we have this information we will review if it is possible to allow passengers to board at Liberty Quays travelling towards Pembroke and the Dockyard. We have also approached Arriva regarding the actual 191 service route times.

Booking system

You are now able to book on the current system until the end of term (14 December 2018).

The new booking system is still in the testing phase to ensure it works effectively and is easy to use.

Features of the new booking system will include a mobile app that communicates booking and boarding information in real-time to improve the customer experience.

New coach

We are expecting the second new coach to arrive the first week of November. This will be a 33 seater coach to replace the current 29 seater. The new coach will have Wi-Fi, USB charging points, more comfortable seats and a toilet on board.

Book a seat at www.kent.ac.uk/campus-shuttle

Accessible parking bay reminder

We are receiving some messages and calls to say that vehicles are parked in accessible bays without being entitled to do so. Please remember that some staff and students may have virtual Government Blue Badge permits or virtual Health Access permits which allow them to park in the accessible bays. 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.

Please remember that some people who require accessible bays:

  • 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.

Car park and road updates

Canterbury campus

Canterbury Open Day

  • Saturday 20 October- A traffic management plan will be in place for the Canterbury Open Day.

Medical school meeting (Darwin car park, Canterbury)

  • Tuesday 23 October- 10 bays will be reserved in Darwin as requested by the Kent and Medway Medical School.

Medway campus

 There are no known car park disruptions to Medway campus for the next two weeks. Any disruptions that we are made aware of will be updated on the transport events calendar

Medway Dr Bike free bike check-up

Dr Bike is visiting Medway campus Thursday 18 October 2018. Find Dr Bike outside the Student Hub 11.30-14.30 for your free bike check-up. The service is available to University of Greenwich and University of Kent students and staff.

Get your bike checked and adjusted for free. Additional work will be quoted individually but will always be at a special reduced rate.

The Dr Bike service is provided by Chris and his team at ByCycle, working with the Transport Team, Estates department.

For more information visit www.kent.ac.uk/transport/cycling/dr-bike