Anger as students and locals compete for parking spaces
Newsquest South East
22nd March 06
Packet chief reporter Paul Armstrong and journalism student Robert Dickins investigate a growing problem in Penryn as the university grows WITH the number of students studying at the Tremough campus in Penryn set to eventually reach more than 5,000, car parking is becoming a contentious issue.
The government's green transport policy is forcing students to park on residential streets resulting in friction between themselves and local people. Students cannot park on campus unless they are eligible for a special permit because of planning restrictions imposed on the university by the government under its green transport policy.
The situation is about to get worse with the university already getting ready for phase two of its development with a new student accommodation "village" all set to be built. By the time phases three and four of the development of the campus are completed it is expected there will be more than 5,000 students on the site.
Some students say they now fear for their safety after their cars were vandalised. In the latest incident Emma Gilbert, aged 18, had all three bolts from every wheel of her car loosened while parked in Tremough Dale. Driving back from Falmouth on Treliever Road the following day one of the wheels came off and became trapped under her car, causing it to skid out of control.
Miss Gilbert said it was a miracle she and her three passengers had all escaped unharmed. "I was so lucky only one of the wheels came off the car," she said. "I could have been killed, it was very scary people just don't realise the harm that they're potentially doing to others. Everyone at the campus is really worried. I just can't believe it's happened."
A week earlier nine students' vehicles were broken into and their radios stolen. One car owner, Sophie Chambers, also had her insurance details thrown into a nearby river.
"It was horrible to see my car like that, I couldn't stop crying," she said. "The doors had been crow-barred open but I was really lucky that the police had fished my details out of the river."
But a week later on February 17 her windows were smashed and her hubcaps removed. Miss Chambers told the Packet: "I need my car here because my grandad is seriously ill with cancer and I may need to go home at the drop of a hat."
Students say there are plenty of empty parking places at the campus site but they are not allowed to use them. They say it's forcing them to park in nearby residential streets, which is causing a multitude of problems not only for the students but also local residents. They say parking is already limited and as student numbers increase, the congestion is only going to become worse.
But university spokesman Martin Horrox said its hands were tied over the number of campus parking spaces they were allowed to allocate students.
He says the campus authorities have been working on behalf of University College Falmouth and the University of Exeter and talking to the office of the deputy prime minister to try and reach a compromise.
It has also been talking to the parish, both the district councils and the county council to try and help residents and students.
"This is a problem Penryn faces for the long term existence of Tremough Campus but the town had parking problems before the university because the town is growing," said Mr Horrox.
He said it depended on the time of the day or the week whether the car parks were full or not but there were far more parking permits issued than there were places to maximise the usage of the car park. One of the car parks was also only allowed to be used for conference visitors and on certain days of the year such as open days.
Only those who lived outside a five mile radius of the campus were eligible for parking permits and this did not include Penryn and Falmouth.
"We spend nearly a £1,000 per working day on subsidised buses for staff and students in the Penryn area and across West Cornwall," said Mr Horrox. "That has an effect on local householders with a sustained and frequent bus service in the area."
In the meantime Miss Gilbert has had a letter from the police saying no further evidence had come to light regarding who had committed the crime and it was not possible to investigate the matter further.
22nd March 06
Packet chief reporter Paul Armstrong and journalism student Robert Dickins investigate a growing problem in Penryn as the university grows WITH the number of students studying at the Tremough campus in Penryn set to eventually reach more than 5,000, car parking is becoming a contentious issue.
The government's green transport policy is forcing students to park on residential streets resulting in friction between themselves and local people. Students cannot park on campus unless they are eligible for a special permit because of planning restrictions imposed on the university by the government under its green transport policy.
The situation is about to get worse with the university already getting ready for phase two of its development with a new student accommodation "village" all set to be built. By the time phases three and four of the development of the campus are completed it is expected there will be more than 5,000 students on the site.
Some students say they now fear for their safety after their cars were vandalised. In the latest incident Emma Gilbert, aged 18, had all three bolts from every wheel of her car loosened while parked in Tremough Dale. Driving back from Falmouth on Treliever Road the following day one of the wheels came off and became trapped under her car, causing it to skid out of control.
Miss Gilbert said it was a miracle she and her three passengers had all escaped unharmed. "I was so lucky only one of the wheels came off the car," she said. "I could have been killed, it was very scary people just don't realise the harm that they're potentially doing to others. Everyone at the campus is really worried. I just can't believe it's happened."
A week earlier nine students' vehicles were broken into and their radios stolen. One car owner, Sophie Chambers, also had her insurance details thrown into a nearby river.
"It was horrible to see my car like that, I couldn't stop crying," she said. "The doors had been crow-barred open but I was really lucky that the police had fished my details out of the river."
But a week later on February 17 her windows were smashed and her hubcaps removed. Miss Chambers told the Packet: "I need my car here because my grandad is seriously ill with cancer and I may need to go home at the drop of a hat."
Students say there are plenty of empty parking places at the campus site but they are not allowed to use them. They say it's forcing them to park in nearby residential streets, which is causing a multitude of problems not only for the students but also local residents. They say parking is already limited and as student numbers increase, the congestion is only going to become worse.
But university spokesman Martin Horrox said its hands were tied over the number of campus parking spaces they were allowed to allocate students.
He says the campus authorities have been working on behalf of University College Falmouth and the University of Exeter and talking to the office of the deputy prime minister to try and reach a compromise.
It has also been talking to the parish, both the district councils and the county council to try and help residents and students.
"This is a problem Penryn faces for the long term existence of Tremough Campus but the town had parking problems before the university because the town is growing," said Mr Horrox.
He said it depended on the time of the day or the week whether the car parks were full or not but there were far more parking permits issued than there were places to maximise the usage of the car park. One of the car parks was also only allowed to be used for conference visitors and on certain days of the year such as open days.
Only those who lived outside a five mile radius of the campus were eligible for parking permits and this did not include Penryn and Falmouth.
"We spend nearly a £1,000 per working day on subsidised buses for staff and students in the Penryn area and across West Cornwall," said Mr Horrox. "That has an effect on local householders with a sustained and frequent bus service in the area."
In the meantime Miss Gilbert has had a letter from the police saying no further evidence had come to light regarding who had committed the crime and it was not possible to investigate the matter further.
posted by Neil Herron at 9:40 AM
0 Comments:
Post a Comment
<< Home