Organisation - September 21, 2010

Flashing lights on campus

The new bus lane across the campus will have a central station at the intersection with the busy Bornsesteeg bicycle route. Flashing lights will keep this junction safe.

This situation is presented in the preliminary land-use layout of the HOV (high-quality public transport) bus lane. This dedicated bus lane will run across the campus from east to west. The route will come from the north and will then run parallel to the existing roads Het Goor and Akkermaalsbos. The plan was presented last Wednesday evening during a crowded walk-in event in the Forum. The bus lane will replace the present route along the Nijenoord Allee which runs past student flats. This proposed change has faced a lot of opposition from occupants in the adjacent Tarthorst and Roghorst estates. They would have to get to the campus to board the bus. 
Pull down
A choice has been made for a dedicated bus lane on the campus, beginning at a to-be-constructed junction with the Mansholtlaan. The route will then run straight, past the future teaching building Orion, across the Bornsesteeg and turn off after Rikilt to the Mondriaanlaan in the Noord-West estate. To make way at the Bornsesteeg, the last house on the Akkermaalsbos beside the Restaurant of the Future will be pulled down. With it goes the plan to turn this house into an atelier-cum-living-space for cross-pollination between art and science.
Day-to-day cyclists on the Bornsesteeg will be warned of the intersection with the bus lane by flashing lights. The junction itself will be built on raised ground. Both these measures will be sufficient to ensure safety at the junction, according to project manager Ad van der Have of Facilities & Services. 'The bus will almost certainly stop at that stop. Moreover, the raised platform means that drivers have to slow down.'
Besides the bus stop on campus, there will also be stops west of the campus at the Mondriaanlaan and east on the Mansholtlaan to the south of the roundabout leading to the campus.
The executive councillors of the province (Gedeputerde Staten) will make their stand known this autumn concerning the proposed layout. The final decision will be made by the States Provincial next spring. The new route is only to be operational in the summer of 2012.