Transportation

Index: Student Bus Pass • Bikes / Rollerblades • Pedestrians • Hybrid Vehicles • Carepooling • Master Plan

Student Bus Pass (top)

The university has set up a universal bus pass program which provides unlimited bus transportation for all full-time students.

Beginning 1998, the USC and LTC began a partnership to provide a universal bus pass to Western students. The program is designed to provide unlimited bus transportation for all Full Time undergraduates at Western. The program is effective from September  1st through April 30th annually.

The pass allows unlimited rides, all bus stop locations, all hours of operation, seven days a week, including holidays, on all regularly scheduled LTC bus routes.

Parking & Visitor Services have strategically placed shelters in the high density areas on campus to facilitate an easier, more comfortable busing experience.

Bikes / Rollerblades (top)

The campus is extremely bike and rollerblade friendly. The main arteries that lead to the core of campus are lined with  designated paths. Some routes on campus, such as Oxford Drive, have even been completely closed to vehicles.

The city of London bike and multi-use path, which follows the branches of the Thames River and reaches across the city, travels through campus. The path allows a safety passage for cyclist and rollerbladers coming to campus without the worry of competing with vehicular traffic.

Bike racks can be found at convenient locations and at the entrance of many buildings. A large, centrally located row of racks and bike lockers act as a main cyclist hub near the University Community Centre.

Full time students have access to showers and lockers at Campus Recreation.

Pedestrians (top)

Western is a pedestrian haven. The campus boasts kilometers of designated pathways, which will lead those traveling by foot to any destination on campus. At some of the busier crosswalks, flashing lights can be activated for pedestrian safety. The ease of getting around campus by foot also reduces the need to have vehicles in the campus core.

The campus is not just a series of pathways for getting from building to building. Western is the site of the Sherwood Fox Arboretum and is home to some of the most beautiful, award winning grounds in the nation. A walking tour map has been developed by Facilities Management and has recommended routes while offering a brief history of the grounds.

Carpooling (top)

Parking & Visitor Services subscribes to carpool.ca, which is a web site allowing staff, students, and faculty to coordinate rides to campus.

According to the site, Canadians’ reliance on the single occupancy vehicle (SOV) as their preferred choice of transportation continues to contribute to global warming. Environment Canada has stated that overall transportation represents the largest single source of Canada’s greenhouse gas emissions, accounting for 27% of the total.

If you are considering carpooling for the first time, guidelines and tips are available on the site to ensure that your carpool stays a happy one.

Hybrid Vehicles (top)

Chaperoning students by foot is about as green as it gets, but the need for a vehicle for distant locations couldn't be ignored. In doing their best to complement the small carbon footprint of walking, Western's Foot Patrol has purchased a Ford Escape Hybrid SUV. Not only are they making campus safer, but greener, too.

Facilities Management purchased a hyrbid Hond Civic in the fall of 2008. The vehicle is rated twice as fuel efficient as the non-hybrid model. The sedan joins the Facilities Management car pool as a personel vehicle.

Master Plan (excerpts relating to Sustainability/Transportation) (top)

Transportation (p. 9) - In considering transportation near the centre of the campus, the dominant factors relate to safe and efficient networks to support pedestrian, bicycle and bus traffic and to provide for visitor parking, in so far as possible. Vehicle traffic and University parking will be focused at the perimeter of campus.