Study areas in the car park near Lumen. Photo by Willem Andrée Students have been very quiet in the long-running debate about the accessibility of the campus. But that is about to change. A group of students from Droevendaal (in particular) are questioning the widening of Mansholtlaan and the car-friendliness of WUR. An initiative in the Lumen car park yesterday may serve as the beginning of more.
The students arrived early. At half past seven, a number of parking spaces were occupied and turned into makeshift study areas. ‘It had tables, chairs, and a rug, says spokesperson and biology student Mayra van der Vrande. ‘Groups of students came by during the day to study here.’
Survey
Signs and a banner made the real purpose of the initiative clear: to draw attention to WUR’s mobility. During lunch, passers-by were asked to fill in a survey about transport to and from the campus. Some three hundred people filled it in. ‘And we want to distribute it even further,’ says Van der Vrande. The results will be announced next week.
We no longer all have to drive during rush hour anymore
Jacco Bontekoe, Student of Urban Environmental Management
The focus of the questions is the planned widening of Mansholtlaan. The students are now questioning the usefulness and necessity of this. ‘The plans will only encourage more people to drive to the campus,’ says student Jacco Bontekoe. ‘How can this be reconciled with WUR’s sustainable image? The survey is intended to gauge opinion on campus.’
Coronavirus
The discussion about the accessibility of Wageningen has been going on for more than a decade and many decisions have already been made. So are the students too late? Bontekoe doesn’t think so. ‘The final decision has yet to be made.’ Furthermore, the coronavirus has caused important changes. ‘We no longer all have to drive during rush hour anymore.’
