Post by Krum Tashev

This year as Union President one of the main campaigns I have been working on is a CCSU Travel Campaign. 
The aim of this is to make the students life easier by fighting for more and cheaper car parking for students in Medway and Canterbury, promoting the existing deals for “Park and Ride”, lobbying the university to review how they run their shuttle buses and to start running buses between the Broadstairs and Canterbury campuses.

Car Parking (Canterbury and Medway):

This year we had a major success! I promised that the Students' Union will lobby the university to save car parking for students and we delivered. For the 2016/17 academic year the Black Car Park will remain student friendly. However the Union is concerned that the university has suggested they will scrap all student parking on campus the following year and this will have a direct negative impact on a lot of our mature students, students with
dependants and students on placements. 

As a Union we are leading the fight to save student parking for all of those who need it. Some may say that this is a minor student issue. But I say please can you explain how "small" this issue is to parents who pay £10+ per hour for someone to look after their children while they are at university - and this time is increased by travel thus costing the parent more. If they can park on campus they can save time and money, rather than using the Park & Ride system. If they come to university three times a week this equates around £100pm just for childcare.

When you tell us through surveys and Challenge US that something is an issue, the Union are going to take note and do what we can to fix it. As a Sabbatical Officer elected by you,
I represent all of you and I am here to fight for you and any issues you face. It is now my mission to lobby the university to make parking on campus more accessible and cheaper for students. This affects students now and in the future so we should be asking WHY ARE THE UNIVERSITY NOT SUPPORTING THIS???

Shuttle buses (Canterbury and Broadstairs):

In January we ran our first Travel Survey and thank you to the 450+ students from all campuses who completed it. Using the feedback from this survey and the “Challenge US cards (over 700 responses received) the Union is going to lobby the University to change the schedule and route of the ShuttleBus that normally goes from campus to Hall Place via the library and Students' Union, and make it more student friendly. 

The Union is challenging the University on why there isn't a bus going between the Canterbury and Broadstairs campuses. I am asking again, WHY? The students want this service and it will help them to use the Canterbury library as well as participate in the important aspects of student life such as making friends. It will have a massive positive impact on their student experience and help keep students at university.

The Union is challenging the University why they spend £131,123 per year for a ShuttleBus that is under used yet when students try to use it, the bus doesn’t show up.

The University said: "It is a general perception that the Black Car Park should no longer be allowed to be used by students in order to benefit staff" (sentence presented to me in a Car Parking meeting as a part of a document)

I say: It is general perception that when the university talk about travel, the student body is the last item on the agenda …