University devises new approach to campus access
Fri 05 November 2010
Anton Westerborn, Master of Communication
With 4000 vehicles entering the University of the Sunshine Coast campus everyday, parking has been a problem that the University has attempted to solve.
More people drove to the University than there were legal parking spaces available, and this forced many students and staff to park on illegal spaces, lawns, dirt or any other space possible.
The plan for improvement is called the University of the Sunshine Coast’s (USC) sustainable approach to campus access.
USC operations manager Richard Maguire said the University was working to improve the transport system and, by doing so, encourage the students and staff to use other means of transportation.
Suggestions involved public transport, ride share, cycling and walking.
The goal was to reduce the number of single occupied vehicles entering the campus.
Mr Maguire said that USC did not know for certain how many students and s
taff rode the bus to campus everyday.
This was because the system was still a paper system, but with the introduction of the Go Card they would soon be able to get accurate statistics.
Mr Maguire believed that about 12 per cent of students and staff were using public transport to get to campus at the present time.
“We would really like to get that up to 30 per cent, and I think that it’s achievable,” Mr Maguire said.
University student Leah Hughes had been taking the bus to USC every day for a year and a half, and believed they were great.
Ms Hughes found it cheaper than driving, and easier because parking was no longer a problem.
Where previously many times she had to park far away and then walk, the bus now stopped at the interchange right next to the campus.
Ms Hughes said she had seen a big improvement in public transport since the introduction of the Go Card.
“With the Go Card, you just tap on and you don’t have to worry about always having spare change,” Ms Hughes said.
Mr Maguire said that the Go Card was a Translink initiative that USC was going to continue to build on.
From the start of the first semester 2011, there would be a trial issue with 2000 Go Cards issued by the University.
These Go Cards would be the concession cards students’ use today but with further reduction of the price, and were being issued to further encourage students to use public transport.
How much subsidising per semester each student would get had not yet been decided.
“Maybe 50, 60, 70 dollars of travel per semester,” Mr Maguire said.
Mr Maguire said that the subsidising was a partnership between USC and the Sunshine Coast Regional Council (SCRC), and would make travelling by public transport to the University particularly cheap for students.
University student Cameron Gullo drove to USC on a daily basis, and said that the reason he did not take the bus was because they were not frequent enough. 
With only one bus an hour passing close to his house, it did not fit well with his schedule.
“If the bus came more regularly, I would definitely take it,” Mr Gullo said.
Mr Maguire said this is a “chicken and the egg” situation.
“Which comes first, more services or more patrons?” Mr Maguire said.
“Translink won’t put on more services without a guarantee of more patrons.
“Through the Go Card, the University Go Card, we will create more patrons then they will improve services."
Another part of USC’s sustainable approach to campus access was the introduction of new car pool parking spaces, called T2, available for cars with two or more passengers.
The 150 car pool spaces were available since the start of second semester 2010, and Mr Maguire said that they were being used by students and staff.
“Now it does not sound like much, but if there is two people in each of those cars that enter, that is at least 150 cars that are not entering the University,” Mr Maguire said.
Next year the University planned to opening a T3 car park.
These would be reserved for cars carrying three or more people.
Mr Maguire said that they were thinking of making this a shaded car park.
This way drivers going through the effort to find riders would get an extra reward.
Bicycle lanes were also being improved.
Mr Maguire said that the SCRC was working to improve bicycle lanes on the roads around campus, and that USC was improving the lanes on campus.
Opening first semester next year, a bicycle hub was to be available on campus.
The hub would include facilities like lockers, showers and toilets and have access control and CCTV cameras.
“It will be an end of trip facility unlike any other on the Coast,” Mr Maguire said.
Image(s) designed by Anton Westerborn