The university student council has issued over 5,000 parking permits to students since Freshers Week 2017 for only 700 student parking places within campus.
The Kunsill Studenti Universitarji executive said that student mobility was one of its most important focus areas, aimed at alleviating the pressure at the university as well as reducing the number of cars on the road.
KSU has identified five pillars on which it will be working this academic year.
1. Car Pooling
KSU will be trying a new pilot project in Car Park 6. Students must register a day before via an online booking form, as well as registering the two other student passengers that will pool in. A security officer will verify the vehicle and it’s participants upon entry.
Matthew Vella, a University of Malta student, has also created a new Facebook
group called ‘Carpool Malta’ with over 5,000 members.
2. Park and Ride
Following talks with the Ministry of Transport, KSU have submitted a proposal to Transport Malta regarding an identified site in Mosta that can be converted into a Park and Ride operating a shuttle service to the University of Malta for students. The site has space for both cars and bicycle racks. Use of the site would be offered at a subsidised rate.
3. Malta Public Transport Fund
The KSU Public Transport Fund will exploit €10,000 to encourage the use of
public transport among students over 21 – since students between 16 and 20 already benefit from free public transport as announced in the Budget 2017.
The maximum price for eligible students is €21 per month – but they will be expected to forfeit and return their KSU parking permit.
4. Motorcycles
KSU is organising the first ever half-day motorcycle learning sessions in collaboration with Gordon’s Moto Centre, with a 50% discount on the €170 price. KSU will allocating €5,000 to this scheme, meaning that 58 students can benefit. The motorcycling bay in Car Park 4 will be expanded allowing 30 motorcycles to be parked together.
5. Cycling
KSU will be applying for funds via the ‘Bicycle Racks Fund’ launched by the Ministry of Finance in Budget 2017 to increase – and improve – bicycle parking on campus, in a visible and safe area on campus. Hundreds of students would cycle to the university if the basic safe road infrastructure were first provided.
Nextbike Malta will be offering annual membership at 50% off, meaning that for only €40, students who live within 30 minutes of their commuting distance will be covered for an entire year. Nextbike, which offers 300 bicycles in all, already has three stations on campus, offering over 20 bikes at any given time. Bikes can be rented from and returned to any of the 52 stations, with more planned.
| In July 2017, KSU also launched a Transport Survey online: • 64.9% of respondents use the private vehicle as their main mode of transport to the University of Malta while 19% make use of public transport. • 61% of private vehicle users spend more than 20 minutes on average daily to find parking on campus. • 70% of private vehicle users have missed at least one lecture due to lack of parking on campus. • Carpooling (40%) is the most popular alternative mode of transport amongst private vehicle users followed by using a Park and Ride system (25%) and Public Transport (19%). • 57% of private vehicle users would carpool if adequate parking is provided. • ‘Buses are on time’ is the greatest concern amongst students followed by ‘efficient routes’ when considering public transport as an alternative mode of transport. • 44% of private vehicle users would consider cycling as an alternative mode of transport with the ‘safer routes to the University of Malta’ being the highest concern. • 28% of private vehicle users would consider a motorcycle as a mode of transport if ‘financial incentives on lessons’ would be provided. •77% of private vehicle users would consider a Park and Ride service if provided. |