Transportation matters

Vaka wants the student movement to encourage students and staff to increasingly use environmentally friendly transport to and from the university. We want to do that by increasing access to public transport and improving conditions for cycling and other environmentally friendly options.

There has been a great awareness of environmental issues in recent years, and now electric charging stations have arrived or are on their way to parking lots at various university buildings. Vaka welcomes it, but there is still room for improvement.

It is important that Strætó is a viable option for students who want to use more economical transportation. There is a need to increase the number of routes and stops at the University of Iceland so that students can make full use of Strætó. Vaka wants to continue the work that SHÍ's environment and transport committee has led in getting cheaper terms for students at Strætó.

Vaka welcomes the fact that covered bike shelters are now under construction at certain buildings, but we will not stop until they have been erected at all buildings.

Vaka wants the number of cycle paths on the university campus to be increased to facilitate cycling to and from the university. Then we want to insist that they are always cleaned and maintained so that they can be used all year round. Then the bike paths in Vatnsmýrin need to be added to facilitate access to all the buildings there.

During the winter months, most of the parking lots near the university buildings are pitch black. Vaka wants more lampposts to be installed or the quality of the existing lighting to be improved in the parking lots at the university to increase access and safety for students and staff.

Parking lots on the university campus are in many cases poorly maintained and, as a result, they are poorly planned and used. Vaka wants the paving plans at the university to be reviewed at regular intervals and corrected. The conditions for those students who have to come to school by private car are not good enough.

Traffic safety for pedestrians in the vicinity of the University of Iceland needs to be improved. Care must be taken that the surrounding streets do not offer speeding and that there are speed bumps of some kind that serve their purpose without causing damage to vehicles. There is a serious lack of footpaths around the school but the campus should be safe for pedestrians, those using assistive devices and cyclists.

Line-route system between university buildings. Vaka believes that this would make it easier for new students to find buildings as well as improve the look of the campus.