Since Gordon Lovegrove started his job as UBC's new director of Transportation Planning, he's received a steady stream of suggestions from the community on and off campus.
"The suggestions are really helpful," he says. "And now that BC Transit is offering a month's free transit to the person who comes up with the best suggestion for improving transportation options to UBC or reducing the number of single-occupant vehicle trips to and from campus, I expect that people will be putting even more thought into the transportation challenges we face."
Computer Science PhD student Andreas Siebert won a one-month BC Transit pass for his suggestion that special road markings be placed at the intersections of 16th Ave. and Wesbrook and East malls to let vehicle drivers know they are crossing a bike lane when they turn left. Lovegrove will follow up on the suggestion with the Ministry of Highways.
So far, the suggestions show that cyclists are among the most vocal proponents of change. Of the 36 suggestions he received last month, 20 were related to bike facilities, from bike racks to bike lanes.
"We are really trying to raise awareness and encourage the involvement of everyone regarding UBC transportation issues, including students, faculty, staff and people in the community who are affected by campus traffic," Lovegrove says.
Lovegrove is also creating a transportation Web site to promote interaction and to help keep the community informed of transportation-related developments. The Web site is the focus of yet another contest for a free one-month transit pass. It needs a catchy name that ties in with the theme of transportation, says Lovegrove, and again he's turning to the community for help.
"The university means business. We'll be implementing a process that will involve all stakeholders and should get underway early in 1998. In the meantime, the more suggestions I receive, both for a Web site name and dealing with campus transit issues, the better."
Lovegrove can be reached by phone at 822-1304, by fax at 822-3250, and by e-mail at gord@plantops.ubc.ca.