According to Jan Daenen (PvdA) and Casper van Waarbeek (VVD), Wageningen has a significant problem with accessibility. Anne Walther (SP) says that studies have yet to show that there is a problem. ‘This rather concerns traffic in the city’, Walther tells in the video.
Parties have little say
The other parties in Wageningen are also exceptionally divided about the accessibility issue. Of all issues, the ring road pours the most oil on the fire. The province is of the opinion that no satisfactory decision could be made about this road that was supposed to improve access to campus.
Last year, the province eventually decided to take over the decision-making role from the municipality. The municipal council now has very little left to say about this issue. Yet most parties still try to lobby hard for a solution they desire. Stadspartij says that the province would not sufficiently keep the interest of the residents in mind.
Parking
The municipality also has very little say in the issue of paid parking on campus: it is up to the proprietor of the grounds, which is WUR itself. Of course, consulting with the municipality is always a possibility.
However, improving the accessibility for cyclists is absolutely something that the municipality can tackle, and the parties seem to be facing in the same direction on this topic. All parties want to lay additional fast cyclist roads where necessary, for example.
More about the municipal elections:
Students want to join Wageningen municipal council on 21 March (video)
Growing university an issue in local elections: Is WUR taking up too much space?