UQ initiates improvements to front-door traffic flow

Visionary changes to Chancellor’s Place over the next few months will give the University of Queensland a new front door — for a particularly practical purpose.

When completed, the revamped St Lucia campus entry (from Upland Road and Hawken Drive) will boost pedestrian safety, improve traffic flow and streamline access to buses and taxis. There will be more shade and no loss of parking.

The multi-million-dollar Chancellor’s Place Enhancement Project begins on November 10 for completion in May 2004.

The University’s Secretary and Registrar, Douglas Porter, said the construction site would be confined to University property.

“The project has been painstakingly planned and we’ll be monitoring it closely to minimise inconvenience to staff, students, visitors and nearby residents,” he said.

Mr Porter said plans allowed vehicular access through the site and pedestrian movement around its perimeter. However, from November 9 some services based in Chancellor’s Place (such as taxis and the UniSafe personal safety bus) would relocate temporarily to other campus locations.

This would boost safety and minimise delays by diverting traffic from the area.

Mr Porter said Brisbane City Council bus stops would be the only amenity moved off-campus during the project, from November 2003 to February 2004. The Council had mapped these locations carefully to streamline operations from stops in Upland Road (which would become one-way for the next six months) and Hawken Drive.

“This is a large project with significant long-term benefits for both the University and neighbouring communities,” Mr Porter said.

“Most of the University’s 33,500 students plus thousands of staff are based at the St Lucia campus, and the population is about the same as that of a small town.

“As those numbers increase, so will the use of public transport; and forward-looking projects like the Chancellor’s Place Enhancement are vital if the University is to continue operating efficiently, effectively and with as little adverse impact as possible on its neighbours.

“There may be some temporary inconvenience while this work goes ahead but we’re doing our best to address that — and the projected benefits suggest future generations will thank us for it.”

Media: For more details, contact Douglas Porter (telephone 3365 1310), Peter Sampson, Property and Facilities (telephone 3365 1113) or Moya Pennell, UQ Communications (telephone 3365 2846).