Tag Archives: Canterbury

Gritting

How gritting works

The University of Kent’s Landscape Management team are always up early and working hard to keep the campus safe and serviceable for all. During icy weather, they grit the campus roads and footpaths to reduce the risk of accidents to staff, students, and visitors.

What many people do not realise is, there is a fine art to gritting. Timing is everything. 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. Further information on the prioritised primary routes can be found on Goggle Maps.

For more information see the University’s Snow and Ice Policy.

E-scooter on campus

Powered Transport: Electric Scooters

 

We have noticed that there has been an increase in the number of private electric scooters using University of Kent land.

We would like to remind everyone:

  • All Powered Transporters (including e-scooters) are illegal to use on the public highway, except those that are part of the trial of the Department for Transport’s rental e-scooters scheme (also recognised as a Powered Transporter).
  • The University of Kent does not give permission for any person to use a Powered Transporter (this includes e-Scooters) on its land, with exception of the Department for Transport rental E-scooters scheme, which here in Canterbury the Kent County Council have contracted to the company BIRD and those that are used to help individuals with restricted mobility.

We have also recently updated the University Regulations for the Management of Traffic to encompass the term ‘Powered Transporters’ and the sanctions that apply.

If you have a personal e-scooter please do not bring this to campus, to ensure that you are not using it illegally or in contravention of the University of Kent Regulations of the Management of Traffic and/or campus accommodation contracts.

University of Kent are pleased to be supporting the Department for Transport and Kent County Council E-Scooter rental trial scheme; to help establish if E-scooters could become a new legal form of greener transport in the UK, similar to e-bikes, in the future. During the rental trial period, however, e-scooters will continue to be classed as motor vehicles, meaning requirements to have insurance and the correct type of driving licence will continue to apply for those that are using BIRD e scooters.

The Bird rental E-Scooters are all GPS connected and the speed can be set remotely depending on where they are. Visit our Commute Smarter page to find out more on how and where you can use the Bird E-scooters.

28 January 2022: The words ‘and those that are used to help individuals with restricted mobility.’ were removed to avoid any confusion that may lead to a person misreading the article to suggest that Mobility Scooters and Wheelchairs are classed as ‘Powered Transporters’,

Planning your Journey: during adverse weather

As the weather is beginning to get colder, it is important that you understand what to do during adverse weather. The Transport Team’s Travel During Adverse Weather page has been updated with relevant information to ensure you know what to do if adverse weather occurs.

The team have also created a Top tips to help you plan your journey in advance of travelling in snow, ice, high winds and torrential rain to ensure you are always prepared for travel disruption and are winter ready. In addition, the Transport Team’s Planning your Journey pages are updated regularly with useful journey planning tools and advice to assist you. Remember the weather can change at any time, you should be prepared for this before you start your journey.

Where possible the Transport Team will endeavour to keep the @unikent_travel twitter feed updated with all transport information and any travel disruptions on or around our campuses.

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.

Other Useful Links:

COVID-19 Update (30/11/21): The UK rules have changed

Following the updated Government guidance in response to the new Covid-19 variant, there are some changes to the rules in the UK.

From Today (Tuesday 30 November 2021): 

  • Face coverings are a legal requirement in shops and on all UK public transport. You must wear a face covering throughout your journey, unless you have medical exemptions. This is the law.
  • On campus, face coverings will be expected in all teaching spaces and communal areas. In shared offices and other spaces, face coverings should also be worn where social distancing cannot be maintained, unless you have medical exemptions.
  • International Travel – you must follow the rules for international travel. You should not travel to countries or territories on the red list.
  • If you are planning to travel to England, you should follow the guidance on entering the UK and find out which list the country you are travelling from is on and what you need to do.
  • If you are travelling to the UK from abroad, you will need to take a PCR test, regardless of whether you have symptoms.

University of Kent Links: 

  • COVID-19 Travel Page – regularly updated with COVID-19 travel information.
  • Coronavirus Page – University of Kent Coronavirus page has useful links and detailed information on the University’s response.

Useful Transport Links:

The following links explain what the travel providers are doing to keep their services COVID-friendly and what is expected from passengers during this time to ensure that you can travel in confidence.

Government Guidance Links:

social media competition

Social Media Competition

We would like to encourage our students and staff to interact with @unikent_travel on social media. Therefore, we have created a Transport competition with prizes.

The prizes include vouchers for various food outlets on Canterbury campus and the winner will be announced on Friday 17 December 2021.

To enter the competition:

  • Get a picture – this can be a photo you have taken or one that you have created.
  • Think of a good caption – either promoting road safety or sustainable travel home for Christmas.
  • Post the image and caption – you can post this on Twitter and/or Instagram.
  • Tag @unikent_travel in your post to enter the competition.
A2 Road Closure extended

A2 weekend road closures extended, November 2021

Due to extended repairs and works having to be delayed because of other roadworks occurring in the area, National Highways are continuing to carry out repair works on the A2 between Canterbury & M2 junction 7 (Brenley Corner roundabout, Faversham).

We highly recommend the driver plans their journey before leaving home.

For drivers travelling on the M2 we have provided recommendation of a route below for the driver to consider. Please note this recommendation was written for advice at the time of publication.

Weekend commencing 19 & 26 November (Open Day)

The A2 will be closed eastbound towards Canterbury. The information below is our recommended route for drivers travelling to our Canterbury campus.

National Highways signed diversion will be via A299 all the way to St Nicholas roundabout then A28 into Canterbury. As this route is a longer diversion for those travelling by car to the Canterbury campus, we recommend the following route:

  1. M2 continue on road past junction 7, where the road changes to the A299.
  2. A299 take the exit for Whitstable A2990 and follow signs towards the A290 (Canterbury)
  3. A290 follow the road for approx. 4 miles, turn left into University Road
  4. Once on campus look for the yellow Open Day parking signs and follow these to the car park.

View our recommended route on Google Maps.

Note: The A2 is open travelling towards London

Weekend commencing 5 November

The A2 will be closed westbound from Canterbury to Brenley Corner, Faversham roundabout.

We recommend drivers leaving our Canterbury campus consider:

  • Turning right out of campus, following the signs to Whitstable using the A290 then join the Thanet Way A299 or
  • travel into Canterbury City to Wincheap roundabout and turn right onto the A28 towards Challock and use the A251 back to the M2 or
  • travel into Canterbury City to Wincheap roundabout and turn right onto the A28 towards into Ashford and join the M20.

Note: The A2 is open travelling towards Canterbury but will direct you into the City. 

Useful Links:

Kent County Council road closure

National Highways Travel Updates

University Planning your Journey Advice

 

wheel stop

Installation of wheel stops to Sports Centre Road

It had been noticed that the cars parking in Sports Centre Road were sometimes overhanging the footpath, restricting its width, especially where the path narrows around the tree outside of the Jennison building.

To try to help prevent this wheel stops made from 100% recycled rubber have been installed in 4 of the parking bays nearest to the tree.

If the wheel stops prove successful in keeping the footpath clear, especially for wheelchair users, we would like to extend the installation to the remaining bays on the Jennison side of the road.

We would be grateful to receive any feedback on this trial. Any comments can be sent to s.thomson@kent.ac.uk

Highway Code Updates image

Changes to the Highway Code 2021

The rules in the Highway code are being updated for 2021 to improve road safety for cyclists, pedestrians and horse riders. There will be further changes made to the Code between September 2021 and February 2022.

It is vital to stay up to date with the Highway Code and it is easy to keep updated online:

  • GOV.UK provides a list of the latest Highway Code updates and let’s you see what has been amended. It also allows you to search for key words and phrases within The Highway Code,quickly move between related rules, follow links to the original laws that the rules are based on and print sections.
  • You can also sign up for email alerts and be notified whenever the Highway Code is being updated.
  • Follow @HighwayCodeGB on Twitter or Facebook for news of any updates and regular road safety reminders.
  • There is also the Official Highway Code app.