Category Archives: News

January Cycle Hire and Dr Bike at Canterbury

*update* The second cycle hire is now Friday 20 January between 12:00 and 14:00.

Cycle hire

The Transport Team, Estates department, work with CyclingAge to run an affordable cycle hire scheme at Canterbury Campus.

You can hire a bike for the term for £30 to help you get around campus and keep fit at the same time.

Hire a bike on Wednesday 18 January or Friday 20 January from CyclingAge at the new Cycle Hub located by the Pavilion on Park Wood road.

Dr Bike

Dr Bike is back each Wednesday during term-time to check and adjust your bike for free. Head to the Cycle Hub at the Pavilion between 8:30 and 15:00 each Wednesday. The first Dr Bike session is this Wednesday (18 January) which is the same day as the first cycle hire date.

For more information contact CyclingAge on uokcycle@cyclingage.co.uk or contact the Transport Team.

Transport Team

01227 82 3609 transport@kent.ac.uk @unikent_travel www.kent.ac.uk/transport

Estates Department, University of Kent, Park Wood Road, Canterbury, CT2 7NN

Understanding Gritting

Timing is everything. If you go too early, you waste it, because it lands on a dry road and is blown away by the displaced air as vehicles drive past. If it is raining heavily (like yesterday afternoon) then it just washes away. Ideally it 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 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’s ‘trafficked’. So when it’s 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.

Estates staff have all been working hard to ensure that the University can continue to operate during these adverse weather conditions. Please be aware that Canterbury campus is over 300 acres and has many walkways, steps, roads, car parks, accessible ramps and cycle routes. Similar to how local authorities manage gritting, we grit these areas according to their priority as not all areas can be covered at all times.

We would like to thank Grounds Maintenance at Canterbury campus and FM team at Medway campus for being on site last night and the early hours of this morning to make sure the priority roads and footpaths are gritted.

Snow and ice- Canterbury and Medway campuses

At Canterbury campus Grounds Maintenance, Estates, have gritted priority roads, pathways and car parks throughout the night and this morning.

At Medway campus gritting contractors and the Estates FM team have gritted priority roads, pathways and car parks this morning. Access roads to Dockyard buildings are clear as Chatham Historic Dockyard Trust have gritted the roads onsite overnight and the Estates FM team have gritted the entrance to the buildings this morning.

Please drive carefully and take extra precautions when walking to and from your vehicle and around campus as some areas may still be slippery.

We recommend you check traffic news or your transport provider for travel updates during this adverse weather. Visit www.kent.ac.uk/transport/planning for useful links to transport (and road) twitter accounts and service updates webpages.

We are also trying to tweet some travel updates from our @unikent_travel twitter account, which can also be viewed online at www.kent.ac.uk/transport/news

Campus Shuttle booking now open

The Campus Shuttle will start running again from Monday 16 January 2017.

The online booking system is available from today at www.kent.ac.uk/campus-shuttle. Booking guarantees you a seat on the service. If you do not book, you can still travel with your Kent One or Kent Union card if seats are available.

The Campus Shuttle is a free shuttle service between Medway and Canterbury campus that runs 7 days a week during term time. See timetable online.

If you have booked a seat, the driver will scan the QR code in your booking (either printed out or on a mobile device). If you have not booked, you will be asked to show your Kent One or Kent Union card. More information can be found at www.kent.ac.uk/campus-shuttle

January cycle hire dates

The Transport Team, Estates department, work with CyclingAge to run an affordable cycle hire scheme at Canterbury Campus.

You can hire a bike for the term for £30 to help you get around campus and keep fit at the same time.

Hire a bike on Wednesday 18 January or Saturday 21 January from CyclingAge at the new Cycle Hub located by the Pavilion on Park Wood road.

For more information contact CyclingAge on uokcycle@cyclingage.co.uk or contact the Transport Team.

Transport Team

01227 82 3609 transport@kent.ac.uk @unikent_travel www.kent.ac.uk/transport

Estates Department, University of Kent, Park Wood Road, Canterbury, CT2 7NN

Parking on Giles Lane by crossing

If you are parking in the area shown in the photograph, located next to the Woolf pelican crossing on Giles Lane, you may be issued with a Parking Notice from Canterbury City Council. This area is part of the public highway and is therefore enforced by Canterbury City Council Parking Enforcement Team.

We understand the area is sometimes used by Kent Highway service vehicles and is not a designated parking area. Parking in this area is a cause for concern as vehicles parked here could potentially restrict vision to drivers on Giles Lane of pedestrians at the crossing.

Please only park in marked bays on campus in the area which your permit or parking ticket is valid for.

Transport Team

01227 82 3609 parking@kent.ac.uk @unikent_travel www.kent.ac.uk/transport

Estates Department, University of Kent, Park Wood Road, Canterbury, CT2 7NN

Changes to 4/6 timetable

Please see new route 4 timetable and route 6 timetable.

We have received some emails from members of staff with concerns regarding the changes to the 4/6 route bus timetables which comes into place on Monday 12 December 2016.

We have contacted Stagecoach and received the following response explaining the change in the service:

“Except for some early morning journeys, this route will no longer run via Tankerton Circus or Swalecliffe. This is as a result of feedback from residents and representations from local councillors in Tankerton, which meant that an alternative solution needed to be found that preserved the link between Herne Bay, Greenhill, Whitstable Rail Station and Estuary View Medical Centre. Consequently from Whitstable Station, buses will continue every hour via Church Street, Ham Shades Lane, Foxgrove Road and the Old Thanet Way towards Greenhill. After Greenhill most buses will continue to/from Herne Bay as route 6 bus.

There is a revised timetable with some journeys running up to 5 minutes earlier. The current 0759 journey from Tanterton Priest & Sow (0812 from Whitstable Harbour Street) will no longer run due to low usage. Passengers who previously travelled to the University at this time can use the Triangle from Priest & Sow Corner at 0756 and change at the Cherry Garden Road bus stop in Canterbury to one of the frequent buses to the University.”

For more information on these changes visit the Stagecoach service updates webpage.

Transport Team

01227 82 3609 transport@kent.ac.uk @unikent_travel www.kent.ac.uk/transport

Estates Department, University of Kent, Park Wood Road, Canterbury, CT2 7NN

Transport Updates: @unikent_travel Transport News Blog

Cycle Update

New cycle storage

Between Cornwallis and Colyer Fergusson- 9 cycle loops are being installed this week. The work is planned to start today. This should provide storage for 18 bicycles
Historic Dockyard- 10 loops are being installed Thursday 8 December. There will be 5 loops located by the Church and 5 loops located by the Galvanising Shop. This should provide bike storage for 10 bikes at each location
Near Cornwallis East- The new card access cycle shelter is having the roof attached and card access activated within the next couple of weeks. This should provide storage for 26 bikes. Once completed, visit Campus Security to gain card access

Card access to cycle shelters

Card access can be put on KentOne cards for one calendar year for staff and for one academic year for students by Campus Security. An end date is needed for security purposes
In terms of how card access is updated, at Medway this is done through remote access. However at Canterbury the locks are not set up to be accessed remotely. We are currently looking into how much it would cost to upgrade these locks so we would be able to update all cycle shelter card access remotely. We will provide further updates on this

Dr Bike free bike check-ups

For anyone who is not familiar with Dr Bike, it is a service provided by Estates which is available to staff and students where you can get a free bike check-up by trained bicycle mechanics
Canterbury– Dr Bike is a weekly services (Wednesdays during term-time) at Canterbury Campus. The last Dr Bike session of the year will be Wednesday 14 December. Dr Bike is now located at the new Kent Sport Cycle Hub by the Pavilion. Check it out when you get the chance
Medway- Dr Bike is starting to come onto campus on a more regular basis at Medway campus. Currently Dr Bike is coming to campus twice a term

Transport Team

01227 82 3609 transport@kent.ac.uk @unikent_travel www.kent.ac.uk/transport

Estates Department, University of Kent, Park Wood Road, Canterbury, CT2 7NN

Transport Updates: @unikent_travel Transport News Blog

Christmas bus timetables- Stagecoach

There will be a special Uni1 timetable between 19 December 2016 and 14 January 2017
There will be no Uni2 buses running during this time
Route 4 and Triangle* buses will continue to run to usual timetable with the exception of 25, 26, 27 December 2016 and 1 and 2 January 2017

The University and Stagecoach have listened to last year’s feedback to improve the 2016/17 Christmas timetable. This year the following changes are in place for the Uni1 service which is running Monday to Saturday:

The 8:10 will continue to operate from Canterbury bus station to campus as usual
Buses will continue to run to and from both Darwin and Keynes as usual
The Keynes times have been adjusted to allow more time for you to reach the Keynes bus stop, for example changing the times from 17:05 to 17:10

The timetables are linked above. You can also pick up a physical copy of the special Uni1 timetable from reception areas around campus and at the Travel Shop located at Canterbury bus station.

Don’t forget to check out the new Stagecoach bus app which is free to download for iPhone and Android. You can plan your journey, check live bus times and even purchase mobile tickets on the app.

Transport Team

01227 82 3609 transport@kent.ac.uk @unikent_travel www.kent.ac.uk/transport

Estates Department, University of Kent, Park Wood Road, Canterbury, CT2 7NN

*use this timetable to refer to Triangle and 4 services only. See special timetable for Uni1 service

Park Wood road disruption

The week commencing 28 November 2016, there will be a temporary lane closure along Park Wood road outside of the new Sibson Building.

During this period access along Park Wood Road will be maintained throughout, however at times will be controlled by operatives with stop/go boards. The work is expected to take approximately 3 days.

This is to start the process of relocating the bus stop to be better positioned for the new Sibson Building.