#GettingHomeForChristmas

There are only three weeks left of term (!) which means that it is time to start thinking about your journey home for the holidays. Whether you’re flying, driving, or taking a sleigh home, we’re here to offer some handy tips.

1. By bus:

Stagecoach express

Stagecoach, in partnership with Megabus, is now providing a new Stagecoach Express service along the M2. Running from Canterbury Bus Station, the service stops at Medway (Chatham and Gillingham) before terminating at North Greenwich Underground Station in London. North Greenwich is just a short tube journey from central London and its many National Rail train stations.

Unirider bus passes cannot be used on this service, however, students are entitled to a discount on walk on tickets, or you can book in advance and receive further discounts.

National Express

The National Express 022 from Canterbury to London Victoria stops at the Keynes bus stop six times a day. From London Victoria, you are able travel to many other UK destinations.

If you need to catch a flight, fear not, National Express provides cheap transfers to many airports, including; Gatwick, Heathrow, Stanstead, and Luton. For more information, check out their dedicated Airport Transfers page.

Students are entitled to the Young Persons Coach card, which offers a third off journeys for just £12.50 a year. This means that a single from Canterbury to London can cost as little as £5!

National Express also offer other discounts to their customers; please see their offers and cheap ticket pages for more details.

2. By train

National Rail

For Canterbury students, the South Eastern rail high speed from Canterbury West takes under an hour to transport you to St Pancras International in central London.

For Medway students, there are two train stations near the campus: Chatham and Gillingham. Both of these run the high speed service, and will get you to St Pancras in around 40 minutes.

From St Pancras, you can catch a train to hundreds of destinations throughout the UK, or catch a tube to one of the other stations serving National Rail across London.

St Pancras has a direct line to Gatwick and Luton airports, via the ThamesLink service. For all other airports, take a look at the TFL guide to London airports.

All full time students, regardless of age, are entitled to a 16-25 railcard from National Rail. The railcard costs just £30 for the year and saves you a third on all journeys.

Eurostar

We are very lucky to have quick links to Europe from our campus. From Ashford International, Ebbsfleet International (both on the high speed line to St Pancras) and St Pancras International, you can take the Eurostar to destinations in France, Belgium, and the Netherlands.

3. By car 

Car Share

Car share is not just for commuting, but can be used for single journeys, like getting home for Christmas. Why not see if you can find someone travelling the same way as you and share the costs with another student. You not only save money, but also the environment.

The University of Kent has worked alongside the University of Greenwich and Canterbury Christ Church to create a Liftshare page dedicated to university staff and students: Unishare South East. Unishare allows you the peace of mind to travel with other university staff and students. Simply follow the link to create an account.

Taxis

Travelling to a London airport from Canterbury or Medway campuses, costs in the region of £75 – £125. The cost will vary depending on which London airport you need to travel too. Try and find other students going to the airport, by using the car share database, so that you can split the cost.

If you need to get a taxi, remember to book in advance. Speak to a couple of taxi firms for quotes so you can get the best deal.

The University uses the services of the following taxi companies:

Canterbury: Cab Co, Cab Line 6 Ltd, Canterbury Galaxy Taxis, Canterbury Taxis, Croft Cars, Longley’s Private Hire, Longport Taxis, Wilkinson Taxis Ltd

Medway: ABC Taxis, Computer Cabs, Express Travel, HWS Taxis, Vokes Taxis

Keeping your bicycle safe on campus

Campus Security have made us aware that there has been an increase in bicycle thefts on Canterbury campus recently. Most of the bicycles that were taken were left unlocked outside of cycle shelters. We wanted to offer some tips on how to keep your bicycle safe around campus.

1. Always use a lock

Remember to always lock your bicycle up when leaving it, even if only for a few minutes. Use a D or U-lock, rather than a cable lock as these are harder to cut through. Try and choose a lock that Sold Secure (a not-for-profit company administered by the Master Locksmiths Association) has rated gold standard. University of Kent staff and students are offered a 10% discount at The Bike Warehouse in Medway and Cycles UK in Canterbury, so a decent lock just got cheaper!

It is important to lock your bike properly. Lock it through the frame to a bike stand in one of our shelters. When using a U-lock, lock it down around the bottom bracket or seat tube, as it is harder for thieves to get to it. Fill the lock with as much of the bicycle as possible. See the below poster for ideas on the best way to lock your bicycle safely.

2. Use a lockable cycle shelter

When you are leaving your bicycle on campus, we ask that you always secure it in a cycle shelter. There are 66 cycle shelters and racks over both Canterbury and Medway campuses. For extra protection, please use one of our lockable cycle shelter.

See our numbered cycle shelter map to find where your nearest cycle shelter is located.

How to gain access to Canterbury lockable cycle shelters

  • For all the Turing cycle shelters, visit the Turing reception with your Kent Once card to be given access.
  • For all other lockable cycle shelters come to the Security and Transport Centre with your Kent One card to gain access.

How to gain access to Medway lockable cycle shelters

  • For access to the lockable cycle shelters at Medway, email MedwayCardAccess@kent.ac.uk with your name, staff or student number, and number on the back of your Kent One card.

3. Register your bicycle

It is always a good idea to register your bicycle with Immobilise. In the event that your bicycle ever was stolen, having your bicycle registers means that Police are able to identify owners of recovered goods, and it can simplify the process of insurance claims. Immobilise is free to use and takes just minutes to set up, so what are you waiting for- register your bicycle now!

4. Report any thefts

If the worst happens and your bicycle is stolen, it is important to report the theft. You can do this by ringing the Police’s non-emergency number, 101, and making a report. If your bicycle is taken on campus, please also report it to Campus Security on 01227 823300 or come in to the Security and Transport Centre.

 

 

Dr Bike: bicycle servicing for staff and students

As part of the University’s Green Travel Plans and the developing University’s Masterplan Framework, the Transport Team are always trying to find ways to encourage sustainable travel. To encourage cycling we provide many initiatives across our campuses; including cycle hire, free bicycle health checks, and discounted bicycle repair works to staff and students.

Dr Bike health checks:

We work in partnership with Dr Bike, at Bycycle, to provide free bicycle health checks. Dr Bike is a trained bicycle mechanic, who offers free cycle health checks including adjustments and advice on repairs. Major repair work and parts are available and will always be charged at a reduced rate for staff and students

Medway campus:

The service is available to all University of Kent and University of Greenwich students and staff.

When and where is Dr Bike at Medway:

Dr Bike travels to the Medway campus once a month during term time between 12:30 and 15:30. His dates for the 2019/2020 academic year are:

Monday 18th November 2019

Thursday 23rd January 2020

Thursday 20th February 2020

Thursday 19th March 2020

Thursday 21st May 2020

Find Dr Bike outside the Deep End Student Hub on the Pembroke Campus.

Canterbury campus: 

The service is available to all University of Kent students and staff.

When and where is Dr Bike at Canterbury:

Dr Bike is on the Canterbury campus every Wednesday, during term time between 10:00 and 16:00.

Find Dr Bike at the Kent Sport Cycle Hub outside the Pavilion, on Park Wood road.

For any enquiries regarding bike hire or servicing, contact ByCycle on chris@easybycycle.co.uk or telephone 07842 636597. For more information see our cycling webpages.

Booking a Seat on the Campus Shuttle

The Campus Shuttle is an important service which connects the Medway and Canterbury campuses for staff and students, so we want to make it as efficient as possible. Therefore, The King’s Ferry are working with ‘Mobile Onboard’ to improve the booking system.

Due to a technical error with the shuttle booking system, it is currently unable to update the driver in real time with the number of seats booked for each journey. To combat this, we have implemented an interim solution.  We would like to inform those who did not see our tweets earlier this term, that currently it is necessary to book a seat by 4am on the day of travel.  This ensures a list of bookings can be given to the driver at the start of the day. Along with this,  the driver will request to see your ticket and Kent One card to validate your booking.

Booking a ticket is quick and easy. Please see our step by step guide on how to book and cancel tickets below, it only takes a minute!

To book your seat:

  1. Book a seat on My Mobile Tickets from your desktop, tablet, or mobile phone.
  2. Log in using your University of Kent details. The first time you register you will be asked to confirm your email and mobile number.
  3. Choose the direction of travel for your journey and press ‘Book’. Choose the date and time you wish to travel and press ‘Select’. Check your booking details are correct and press ‘Get Ticket Now (Free)’.
  4. On ‘Your Tickets’ page, click ‘Show Ticket’ to access your ticket for boarding.  You can either print your ticket, or show it on your smartphone when you board the shuttle. Please do not take a photo or screenshot of your ticket, as this can cause issues with the scanner and you may not be able to board.

Please remember to cancel your booking if you no longer require it, so we are able to offer the seat to another commuter. To cancel your seat:

  1. Go to ‘My Tickets.’
  2. Find the journey you need to cancel, and click on ‘Cancel Booking’.
  3. Confirm your decision and you will receive an email confirming the cancellation.

Please note that it is only possible to book a seat for journeys between Canterbury and Medway campuses. If there are spaces you are able to board the shuttle using your Kent One card to travel between any stops. You can also catch the 191 Arriva bus to travel between Medway campuses.

We are currently discussing with The Kings Ferry how to enable bookings between Medway stops in an effort to further improve the service for commuters.

Campus car parks and road updates (15-29 November)

The Transport Team want to make finding a place to park on campus as efficient as possible. To do this, we endeavour to keep staff and students updated on any known car park changes within this newsletter.

At all other times, you can visit our Traffic Management Events Calendar and our Twitter page (@unikent_travel), which are updated regularly.

This section of the newsletter also includes ‘Other Traffic Management News’, to highlight any information that may be of importance to drivers.

Car Parking Changes:

Canterbury Campus

Start Date

 End Date Location Number of Bays Reason Requested By

 13 May 2019

 31 December 2019 Pavilion car park 9 To replace the Tennis Courts Estates on behalf of Hospitality
18 November 2019 22 November 2019 Estates car park 12 Foul drainage work

Estates

Medway Campus

There are currently no known car park disruptions at the Medway campus.

Other Traffic Management News

Canterbury Campus

One of the main questions we get asked about the Canterbury campus is ‘where can I park?’ To help answer this, we have our interactive parking map. The map can be used to find out which car parks your permit entitles you to use during permit enforcement hours (Monday to Friday 8am to 5pm), how many spaces are available, and where visitors can park.

Medway Campus

Drill Hall Car Park

To make sure that there are enough spaces in the Drill Hall car park for everyone who wishes to use it, we ask that you please park considerately and do not leave large gaps between vehicles. We are unable to paint bay markings or lines within this car park because it is part of a heritage site. The road and parking areas are distinguished by planters and circular discs in the ground. There are also maps and signs within the car park to help identify the correct places to park.

 

Planning your journey for adverse weather

With evenings getting darker, adverse weather on the horizon, and temporary road closures, knowing the best way to travel can be tricky. Whatever the situation, the Transport Team’s Planning your Journey page has been developed to help plan your commute.

Travel Advisors update the page regularly with new apps, webpages, and social media links that give up to date information on road, rail, bus, and bicycle travel.

Now that winter is looming, we are updating the Transport web pages with the latest adverse weather information, and we will also endeavor to update you on our twitter page if there are any travel disruptions on or around our campuses.

Remember that weather can change at any time. Be prepared for this before you start your journey, no matter the mode of transport.

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. Think Be Bright Be Seen.

 

 

Liftshare Week: your chance to win £150!

Liftshare week takes place nationwide each October to celebrate the social, financial and environmental benefits of car-sharing. This year, the dates are 7th-13th October, and here at the University of Kent we want to encourage everyone to give Liftshare a go!

To celebrate, anyone that forms a Liftshare team between 30th September and 20th October 2019 will be entered into a prize draw to win a Red Letter day up to the value of £150.

If you haven’t yet joined Liftshare you can do so now absolutely free! Visit https://liftshare.com/uk/community/unishare and follow the instructions to register and add your journey details. Then search for a match, get in touch and get sharing!

You don’t have to Liftshare every day, even sharing once a week with someone makes a big difference. You’d be surprised how much the benefits add up over time; we’re talking financial savings (drivers can make back up to 100% of their fuel costs by sharing), as well as reducing your carbon footprint and decreasing congestion and parking pressures. Plus you might make some great new connections!

You can read the Ts and Cs of the competition over at the Liftshare website.

Campus Shuttle Booking System

The Transport Team have become aware of an issue with the Campus Shuttle booking system, which has meant the drivers are unaware how many seats to keep free for Liberty Quays. We are working with Kings Ferry to find a permanent solution. In the meantime, Kings Ferry are implementing an interim solution to ensure that everyone who books a ticket can travel.

To guarantee a seat on the campus shuttle, you must book by 04:00am on the day of travel. This allows Kings Ferry to issue their drivers with a booking report confirming the number of tickets booked and a list of passenger names.  Any bookings made after this time will be subject to availability at the stop as the driver will be unaware that the booking has been made.

For a step by step guide on how to book a seat on the campus shuttle, please visit our website (https://www.kent.ac.uk/campus-shuttle/index.html). 

Giles Lane Car Park Barriers

On Wednesday 19 June the Automatic Number Plate Recognition (ANPR) barriers in Giles Lane car park will start operating. We will be tweeting updates on the morning of the 19th via the Transport Team twitter @unikent_travel. If you do not have a twitter account you can view our tweets on our news page.

As you arrive on Campus there are 2 electronic Vehicle Message Signs (VMS) located on Giles Lane. One by Giles Lane car park entrance for drivers approaching from St Stephens Hill and the other just before the Park Wood roundabout, for drivers approaching from University Road direction.

The VMS will work with the ANPR barriers, to show the number of available spaces within Giles Lane car park barrier controlled area. This information aims to assist drivers with making a decision on whether to enter this car park or divert to a different one.

When entering the barrier controlled area of Giles Lane car park, the camera will read your vehicle’s registration number (VRN). It will automatically open Monday to Friday 8am to 5pm if the vehicle is registered with a valid permit and for all cars at any other time, (see further information below).

If the vehicle is not registered with a valid permit, the driver will be required to press the buzzer and speak to Campus Security. Security will allow all drivers to enter the car park, but will inform the driver, they must exit the car park immediately.  If the vehicle has not left the car park within 10 minutes of entering through the barriers, Campus Security will be made aware. Visit our parking enforcement web page for further information.

At peak times the barrier will lift automatically for all vehicles to allow traffic flow. However, the registration number of vehicles that do not have a valid permit will be recorded and the barrier system will notify Campus Security. Whilst a vehicle may be allowed through the barrier, it is still the responsibility of the driver to ensure that they;

  • are parked within a marked bay at all times.
  • have activated the correct vehicle on their permit account, or have the correct permit displayed in their windscreen if they do not have a virtual permit for Giles Lane car park, Monday to Friday 8am to 5pm

The Giles Lane Project Team will be closely monitoring how the barriers are working. We welcome all feedback and ask you to complete our Giles Lane car park feedback form to enable us to understand your experiences and make improvement where possible.

Information for Permit Holders

Virtual parking permit holders

The virtual permit database will feed the vehicle that is marked as ‘active’ on each permit account to the ANPR barrier every 30 minutes. Hence why we are asking drivers to update their permit account with the vehicle they are parking at least 30 minutes before arriving on campus, where reasonably possible.

A driver with a valid virtual parking permit with the correct vehicle marked as ‘active’ on the permit account:

  • The barrier will automatically open. Please ensure you have updated your active vehicle to the one you are driving at least 30 minutes before arriving on campus. See our FAQ on how to switch your vehicle.

A driver who has a virtual daily voucher permits:

  • Please ensure you purchase your daily voucher at least 30 minutes before arriving on campus to guarantee automatic entry through the ANPR barrier.  If you are unable to do this for any reason and the barrier does not lift press the buzzer and talk to Campus Security to gain access into the car park.

A driver with a valid virtual parking permit but not in the vehicle marked as ‘active’ on the permit account: 

  • The driver may be required to press the buzzer and speak to Campus Security, outside of peak traffic flow times. Once you enter the car park and parked your vehicle you must update your permit account to ensure the correct vehicle is registered to park. See our FAQ on how to update your active vehicle.

Paper parking permit holders

Drivers that have a paper permit will still be required to clearly display a valid permit in the front windscreen of their vehicle. Your vehicle registration details will be uploaded onto the ANPR list once a week. This means you may not be able to enter Giles Lane car park automatically until 1 week after the permit has been issued.  In the meantime press the buzzer at the barriers to ask for access if the barriers do not lift.

Summer Unirider Bus Ticket

Staying on Campus or the local area over the Summer vacation?

Student Unirider tickets expire 16 June 2019.

The Summer Unirider is valid 17 June to 14 September 2019 and allows unlimited travel on all Stagecoach buses in Kent and East Sussex

The Summer Unirider costs only £80. The equivalent public price ticket would cost £279.

Purchase the Unirider ticket online from the Stagecoach website

Summer Unibus Timetable

The Unibuses run to a different timetable during the Summer vacation. The Summer timetable can be viewed online or in the Security and Transport Centre reception.