The shortest cycling route to the Feringa Building has been blocked by a fence for some time now, causing considerable frustration — especially after the UG decided to add an additional fence, resulting in an even longer detour.
‘It’s especially annoying when there is bad weather’, says PhD candidate Muhammad Waseem about the cycling trip to the Feringa Building, which now takes about two minutes longer since he can no longer ride directly from Crematoriumlaan through the car park to the main entrance.
For Geraldine Gambier, management assistant at ENTEG, the detour means she has to walk an extra five minutes. ‘It’s not serious, of course, but it is irritating.’
But it’s not just the longer route causing annoyance. ‘I find the detour more dangerous than the shorter route via the construction site’, says Vincent Hulst, study advisor at the astronomy department. Additionally, the route passes by Nijenborgh 4, where there is also construction traffic due to demolition work. ‘It really increases the risk of a collision.’
Even longer detour
Max Fürst, a lecturer at the Faculty of Science and Engineering (FSE), decided to take action. ‘I realise that this is not a world-moving issue’, he emailed the FSE construction team. ‘But given the scale of people that this affects in combination with the apparent striking senselessness and the backdrop of so many other small and big annoyances regarding the new building, I am tired of just accepting more stupid decisions.’
‘When the demolition work begins, all movable barricades will be replaced with construction fences’, the project leader replied. ‘In addition, we are going to place additional signs indicating the correct route. So this will be addressed shortly.’
To Fürst’s surprise, the detour only got longer: at the end of July, a fence was placed between the building’s southern entrance — accessible from the car park — and the main entrance. Now, to reach the Feringa Building, you have to cycle around Nijenborgh 4, adding a few hundred metres on top of the existing 300-metre detour.
Side entrance closed
Additionally, the side entrance near the car park is closed. ‘This was officially done to ensure a safe route for moving the chemical storage to the Feringa Building’, says Gambier. ‘But it’s still closed. Why?’
It seems to be related to the construction route, which runs right past the side entrance. To reach that entrance, you would have to cycle a few hundred metres alongside construction traffic and then cross that route.
In a post on the FSE intranet, the UG explains that large construction machines often do not see cyclists. ‘Therefore, follow the cycle route to avoid unsafe situations and accidents’, it says. The route is shown by the green line on the map below, while the construction route is indicated by the orange line.
Suggestion
Study adviser Hulst wonders how long this detour will remain in place. ‘It could well be two to three more years before this site is no longer a construction area.’ He believes that’s too long to be taking a detour. ‘And the UG should make it as easy as possible to cycle to campus.’
He has a suggestion: ‘No construction traffic towards the building between 8.45 and 9.30 a.m. That’s when most of the chaos with cyclists heading to campus happens, and they could just take the shorter route.’
The detour route to campus will remain unchanged for the duration of the Feringa Building’s construction and the demolition of Nijenborgh 4, according to a UG spokesperson. No one was available for questions about the specific choice of this route.