Executive Board member Rens Buchwaldt accepts petition calling for less asphalt on and around campus. Photo Sarah-Maria Scheid The protest group Nieuwe Mobiliteit Wageningen (New Mobility Wageningen), together with Scientists for the Future, handed over a petition today with 739 signatures calling for no more asphalt on and around the Wageningen campus.
‘Waiting for the road to change’ was the slogan on the activists’ poster with below honking cars, nervous drivers and cars jammed in rows. To solve this problem, WUR plans to invest in roads on campus. The petitioners criticise these plans, which include the BBW – Beter Bereikbaar Wageningen (Better Roads Wageningen) programme to reduce congestion on and around campus. The petition was handed to WUR board member Rens Buchwaldt in the atrium of the Atlas building at lunchtime today.
Unfulfilled
The Wageningen campus’ philosophy of reducing car use and emissions to become the greenest and most sustainable university is not being fulfilled, according to Nieuwe Mobiliteit. In fact, the plans would encourage cars and increase pressure on living space, the climate and biodiversity. Eline Floor Mouwen of Nieuwe Mobiliteit said: ‘We have to face the truth that cars can no longer play a dominant role in our society. We should not hesitate to reflect and adapt our role in the WUR community.’ ‘Now it is the time that we stop for a moment to rethink what mobility can be on campus’, continued Mayra van der Vrande. ‘We are stressing our values of sustainability that the WUR expresses and is known for.’
Plans under discussion
After a lengthy discussion with the board, the activists of Nieuwe Mobiliteit Wageningen had mixed feelings. Buchwald said the board will take some time to read the demands and will remain in contact with Nieuwe Mobiliteit. Both parties have similar ideas about sustainability, but the practical application differs from what they would like to see and what the WUR does. Mayra outlined: ‘That WUR is aware of the different options but doesn’t seem to be aware of the environmental footprint of BBW, extra roads or new car parks. They underestimate that they are supporting car infrastructure and are not prioritising implementing alternatives.’ The board explained that the campus is growing, and the investment they are making right now is not enough to implement as many parking spaces as they actually need. ’In this way, they are doing better, but it is still not in line with the mobility vision’, Mayra replied.
External constraints
Buchwald told the group that WUR wants to support affordable public transport but encounters provincial boundaries. Rene ten Dam, from Scientists for Future explained: ‘The province has a limited budget and must first allocate it to areas that are worse off than Wageningen.’ As far as the practical problems are concerned, Nieuwe Mobiliteit agrees, but this should not be an excuse to promote cars on campus.
Text and photo Sarah-Maria Scheid
