That is the result of six months of talks on the two options for resolving the traffi c jams on the roads around the campus. Wageningen’s municipal executive thinks that widening Mansholtlaan and Nijenoordallee to two lanes in both directions plus additional measures for emergencies will be enough to solve the traffic problems. there is no need for a new campus ring road
The additional measures include providing access to the campus on the north side via Bornsesteeg and Kielekampsteeg. That route, currently used as a short cut, will be upgraded to the second offi cial entrance to the campus. Cyclists will get a wide, segregated bicycle path alongside this road on Wageningen UR land. In the event of an emergency closing the surrounding roads, traffi c can be diverted along the new bus lane on campus. Traffi c control staff will guide the traffic then.
The Executive Board of Wageningen UR is ‘moderately positive’, says spokesperson Simon Vink. ‘We are pleased about the northern exit but disappointed that there will be no western exit.’ The board has also expressed concerns about the crossing for cyclists and pedestrians from the Leeuwenborch to the campus. It is hoped that the additional measures in the event of emergencies in particular will convince the province that a new ring road is not necessary. The province had not been sure about that, which was why Wageningen municipality had been given half a year last spring to back up its arguments. A project group (with the provincial authority, the municipality, Wageningen UR and local businesses) and a consultative group (representing Wageningen society) were set up.
That did not result in a unanimous recommendation from the two groups. So the decision to upgrade the existing roads remains controversial. The municipal council is expected to come up with a resolution on the matter at the end of next month. Then the provincial authority will have to come to a decision too. Mansholtlaan is a provincial road so the province has to pay for any changes.