Campus pedestrian-friendliness contested

A University of Otago council member has urged the university to improve facilities for pedestrians.

The campus was "distinctly pedestrian-unfriendly", Roger Tobin said at last week's council meeting.

The council was discussing a memorandum of understanding which has been settled between the university, Otago Polytechnic and the Dunedin City Council, after four years of discussions, working parties and forums.

The memorandum, which was endorsed by the university council on Tuesday, sets out a broad timetable for addressing priorities in the North Dunedin campus zone including reviewing zone planning rules, creating more green spaces, encouraging landlords to upgrade the look and environmental standards of rental properties and developing a plan for discouraging car use in favour of walking and cycling.

Discouraging car use could not be done without improving pedestrian and public transport facilities, Mr Tobin said.

He suggested Dunedin's "rubbish" bus services needed improving, and that the university install lockers so students who arrived at the campus on the bus or on foot did not have to carry heavy textbooks around all day.

Vice-chancellor Prof David Skegg said he could not agree the campus was pedestrian-unfriendly.

"Compared to many other universities with similar-sized student rolls to ours, ours is a walkable campus. You can walk from one side to the other in about 10 minutes."

The university was also trying to reduce the number of cars on campus through initiatives such as the park 'n' ride system, he said. In March, the university opened a 200-space car park near St Andrew St, offering staff members free parks and free shuttle buses to and from the campus.

The working party set up to work on the memorandum would continue, Prof Skegg said.

"Suggestions such as yours are exactly what the working party has been set up to consider."

Contacted after the meeting, Otago University Students Association president Simon Wilson said his organisation administered several hundred lockers available to students and would be open to discussing the need for more.

•  The university's strong financial position continued, the council was told. Income for the first seven months of the 2008 financial year was $295.6 million - $10.5 million higher than budgeted, financial services director Grant McKenzie said in his monthly report.

Expenditure for the same period was $274.1 million - 2.7% higher than budgeted.

The surplus for the period was $21.5 million - $3.37 million or 18.6% above expectations.
The university is anticipating a surplus of $15.4 million for the full financial year.

Add a Comment