Campus Services

Vic Commute Travel Plan

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The University Travel Plan was initiated in 2008 as part of the University’s commitment to environmental sustainability. A range of initiatives were implemented including changes to parking management and improvements to sustainable commuting options. This has lead to staff driving to campus (from 39% to 36%) and greater usage of buses(from 15% to 20%).

Thank you to all those staff who have shifted to, or continue, using sustainable transport to commute to campus. To continue the progress further actions are planned, including introducing a University car-pooling system and continued increase of parking prices.

SMT has approved continuing to increase the cost of staff parking permit prices at Kelburn, Pipitea and Te Aro campuses to reach market value (as assessed by Colliers International for a Kelburn car park) over the next four years. The market value has been assessed as $1,170/yr for a licence to hunt permit and $1,430/yr for a reserved permit. Current licence to hunt parking permit prices are at 55% of market value, while reserved permits are at 70% of market value.

In 2012, the licence to hunt permit will be $798/yr incl. GST and will increase by $100 and CPI annually until 2015. A reserved permit will be $1,135/yr incl. GST and will increase by $67 and CPI annually until 2015. Karori campus will continue to offer parking at no charge as on-street parking surrounding the campus is free.

The additional income from staff parking will continue to fund improvements to sustainable transport options including additional bus services, pedestrian maps, cycle storage, intercampus snapper cards etc. It is also expected that the increased cost of parking will make driving to campus less attractive and prompt staff to opt for cheaper and sustainable alternatives.

FAQs:

What is the Travel Plan?

The Travel Plan is a project that was initiated to encourage the use of sustainable transport options for commuting to campus and reduce the demand for carparking. It started in 2008 in partnership with Greater Wellington Regional Council. It has enhanced sustainable commuting options and lead to changes in car park management. See below for more information on the background of the Travel Plan and what projects have been delivered.

What will the cost of my parking permit be in 2012?

Staff ‘Licence to Hunt’ permit at Kelburn, Pipitea or Te Aro: $798

Staff ‘Reserved’ permit at Kelburn, Pipitea or Te Aro: $1,135

Karori permits remain free of charge

Student parking is administered through VUWSA

What will the additional revenue from parking be used for?

Sustainability initiatives, such as further enhancements to sustainable transport options, energy efficiency upgrades and water saving strategies will be funded using the additional parking income, including ongoing funding of the initiatives listed below.

What sustainable transport options are there for getting to campus?

   Go to Sustainable ways to get to campus - what can I do?

Where do I get more information about parking on campus?

Go to Carparking

 

Sustainable Commuting Enhancements

Buses

A number of bus service improvements have been implemented over the last couple of years. These include;

Pedestrian Map

Let us not forget the most sustainable commuters – those that walk, run or cycle to University. A new walking map has been produced for the University, showing all the great pedestrian shortcuts around our campuses. You can download the front and back of the map or if you want a conveniently sized hard copy to take with you when you’re walking then contact the Environmental Manager.

Cyclists

As part of the Environment Sustain Design (ESD) features of Alan MacDiarmid Building, a new secure bicycle cage has been incorporated into the basement car park for staff and post graduate students, as a safe place to park your bike. The facility has 40 spaces available and access is restricted via your VUW ID card.

In the event that your card doesn't access this, contact Campus Security on extn 8366 to activate. Shower and changing facilities are located within the building for ease of commuting.

Motorbikes/Scooter

Over the last couple of years the University has seen reasonable growth in the number of staff and students choosing scooters as an economic alternative to other modes of personal transport. Ensuring that adequate parking, close to the main building and lecture theatres has been tricky, particularly on a hilly site like Kelburn.

In mid 2010 a new motorbike/scooter deck was built behind Rankine Brown Building providing a designated centrally located motorcycle/scooter parking facility for students and staff. This followed the increasing of the spaces outside Cotton Building earlier in the 2010.

Parking

There are now more bookable visitor parks available and a greater number of pay and display parks available on campus to provide more flexible parking options for people who do not need to drive to University regularly.

 

Background

With more than 22,000 staff and students spread across four campuses, the University community generates a lot of public and private traffic. The Vic Commute Travel Plan was created in partnership with Greater Wellington Regional Council to meet the needs of Victoria's commuters by encouraging more sustainable transport options.

The Vic Commute Travel Plan looks at strategies to reduce the University's environmental footprint by encouraging the use of public transport and walking and cycling. It will also consider what other facilities might be necessary to support any new initiatives.

During the research and planning phases of Vic Commute the existing transport infrastructure at the University was reviewed and locations of staff and students studied to determine the level of access to sustainable transport. Staff and students took part in focus groups and completed a survey on travel behaviour and preferences. The findings of this research highlighted the key areas in need of improvement and potential initiatives for the University. This has been summarised in the Scope Statement.

The initiatives identified in the research phase were studied in more detail and the impacts of each change assessed. During 2008 the proposed initiatives were presented to staff and students in order to get their feedback, 148 submissions were received. The Travel Plan was adjusted to incorporate the issues raised during the consultation process

The Senior Management Team has approved the Vic Commute Travel Plan.

A list of Frequently Asked Questions will also help explain some of the details contained in the Travel Plan.

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Sustainable ways to get to campus - what can I do?

Bus/Train – To quickly access bus and train timetables save www.metlink.co.nz to your ‘internet favourites’.

Students - maybe entitled to free inter-campus bus tickets, if they meet criteria set by VUWSA. (One of more classes, on the same day at different campuses)

Staff - are offered and encouraged to use free bus travel for work trips.  Free 10 trip tickets can be supplied by Campus Services.

Walk/Run/Cycle – There are cycle racks and showers at each campus for those who want to cycle or run to University. Showers are available on all campuses.

Shower Facilities

Kelburn:
Easterfield: level 2 and 6, both unisex
Laby: basement - unisex
Hunter: level 3, staff only 1 x M, 1 x F
Murphy: level 1, 1 x M, 1 x F
Alan MacDiarmid Building: level 1 & 2, both unisex
Rec Centre:  6 x M, 6 x F

Pipitea:

Rutherford House: basement gym, 5 x M, 3 x F
Rutherford House: level 12, staff only 1 x M, 1 x F
Government Buildings: ground floor, 1 x M, 1 x F

Karori:

Marae: - 1 x unisex
Theatre Block: - 1 x M, 1 x F
Malcolm Block: - 1 x unisex
Mackie Gym: - 1 x unisex, 6 x M, 8 x F

Te Aro:

Vivian Street: basement, 1 x M, 1 x F
Vivian Street: level 1, 2 x M, 1 x F

Cycle racks are marked on the campus maps here.

At the Kelburn campus they are in the: Rec Centre, Cotton, Laby, Murphy, Hunter and Alan MacDiarmid buildings.

At the Pipitea campus they are in Rutherford House and Government Buildings.

At the Karori campus they are in the Mackie Gym, Theatre Block and Malcolm Block.

There are many shortcuts to and from the Kelburn campus here

Car pool – Victoria University will implement a formal carpooling system for staff and students. In the interim staff and students are encouraged to use lets car pool or the car pooling blog set up by a group of students from the Faculty of Architecture and Design.

Wellington Cable Car - The Wellington Cable Car also runs right past the Kelburn campus, providing a quick link into the CBD.

Ferry - Commuters from Eastbourne area can use the East by West Ferry to get into town and avoid the traffic.

Contact Details

If you have any questions or suggestions send them to sustainable-campus@vuw.ac.nz