The bay campus travel plan is constantly evolving so although true to the best of my knowledge at the time of writing this is by no means final.
What parking facilities are there at the Bay Campus and surrounding area?
There will be parking for 600 cars at the Bay Campus to include staff parking, disabled spaces, 100 pay and display spaces and parking for visitors to the Site of Special Scientific Interest.
Parking for students will be available at the Swansea City Council recreational ground at Singleton and the Fabian Way ‘park and ride’ where students can connect with a bus to the Bay Campus and Singleton Park Campus.
There is however plans for an additional 200 student spaces available on campus for those in urgent need on a permit basis (subject to St. Modwen approval).
Are there buses to the Bay Campus?
There will be a bus calling at the Bay Campus every 5 minutes at peak times with each route running at a minimum of every 10 minutes during busy periods.
In addition to current bus routes, two new dedicated routes from Hendrefoilan are planned which will be stopping on the Bay Campus itself. The service incorporating Uplands was purely a result of myself and the Student Union campaigning for better provision. Below is a map of routes:
Â
Green Route
The main university route will follow the existing route from the Hendrefoilan Student Village to the Singleton Park Campus. From there it will travel along the sea front, stopping along the way before turning left at the Guildhall, along St. Helens road, right by the Potter’s Wheel past Tesco, back to the seafront and following Fabian Way to the Bay Campus. Frequency estimate: every 10 minutes.
Orange Route
The second route will travel from Hendrefoilan along Gower Road through Sketty and Uplands into the City Centre where it will go to the train station, the new St David's student accommodation and then on to the Bay Campus. Frequency estimate: every 20 minutes.
From city centre to Bay Campus – estimated time of 10 minutes
From Singleton Park Campus to Bay Campus – estimated time of 20 minutes
Greyhound
The greyhound bus which travels connects the University to both Cardiff and Bristol airports will stop at the Bay Campus and Singleton Park Campus.
What will the bus service cost?
There will be a range of options around tickets including e-ticketing options for yearly or termly passes as well as singles, returns and carnets of tickets. I have been working hard to ensure there are student discounted tickets and carnet tickets, so far the outlook is positive. The bus pass prices have been frozen.
Bus Capacity
Buses on the new campus routes will have 43/44 seats and there will be an additional three 70 seat coaches available as a contingency plan and for sports students on Wednesday afternoon. First Cymru shall also be keeping some of their old fleet of buses as a further contingency in case extra capacity is required on the routes.
Night Buses?
As a result of Student Union campaigning it is likely that First Cymru will be trialling a night bus scheme to run till around 2am as a trial on at least Wednesdays, Fridays and Saturdays. It is a use it or lose it style affair to ascertain whether it is viable.
Bus Stops
No finalised plans yet however postcode data is being analysed to ensure the best student coverage.
Taxis?
There were originally no plans for a taxi rank on the Bay Campus however after Student Union campaigning it has been agreed that there is the need for one and work around licensing has begun. The usual Swansea taxi firms you use can still drop you off, the issue is more with ranking as the campus lies in the Neath Port Talbot Council Authority. Don't forget about the Safe Taxi Scheme!
What facilities are there for cycling?
If you want to cycle to the Bay Campus there will be cycle parking adjacent to the academic buildings as well as by the halls of residence. Studentswill be able to use the Bay Cycles loan scheme from both Singleton and the Bay campuses. Improvements are being made to National Cycle Route 4 which links the two Campuses and in particular a dedicated cycle entrance onto the campus. Between the two campuses takes 25-30 minutes and about 15 minutes from the town centre.
I am constantly fighting for the best transport provision for the Bay Campus and we've had some really good wins; here's to more to come! Any questions, please feel free to contact me at welfareofficer@swansea-union.co.uk.