6 October 2017
By Mary Bermingham
mary@TheCork.ie
UCC – University College Cork recently announced a massive investment, but some are unhappy about the details
Justin Fleming, Masters in Planning & Sustainable Development student and Green Party representative in the Cork City South Central ward, said:
“UCC is the first green campus in the whole world. I’ve been studying here for five years and during that time the demand for bike parking has rocketed while the supply has stayed the same.”
“There’s a record high demand for bike parking spaces on campus, and UCC aims to boost the number of students and staff who cycle even further.”
Students call on UCC to invest in cycling as part of €350m investment plan
“UCC recently removed the bike parking spaces beside the Honan Chapel – among the most central and popular on campus – to create a new car parking space. UCC said this was done to separate wedding cars from commercial vehicles for safety reasons, which is fair enough, but this should not have left cyclists worse off.”
“UCC recently announced a €350 million investment plan for the campus. This should absolutely include a substantial number of additional bike parking spaces on campus in central and convenient locations.”
“It should upgrade existing bike parking spaces so bikes’ frames can be locked because new bikes’ wheels can easily be detached so wheel-based bike parking isn’t secure. It should upgrade the steep steps between the main gate and behind the students’ centre with a wheel ramp strip so people can easily bring their bikes up the steps with them.”
The 58-page Strategic Plan (2017-2022) contains no mention of cycling or related infrastructure, but does include mention of increasing the overall student population by several thousand, as well as constructing new satellite campus buildings.
