Week 9: Collaboration project

Although I was off last week, Malcolm explained to me the project that was set the previous week and let me join their group. The project task is basically to come up with a concept that in some way improves UWE but is literally just a concept rather than a creative task. We discussed a number of problems we had encountered which included:

- trouble finding our way around the campus
-Safety aspects of being on the campus so late
- Accessibility to the site

A possible solution for safety - the 'people bus'
The idea for pedestrians is that rather than walking alone, you would wait for others that also want to walk to make it safer. We discussed the idea of having 'people bus stops' where people leave together at indicated times from a stop that specifies itself as a people bus stop, or alternatively students could be bluetoothed if they are onsite when there are enough people to travel together using the people bus, e.g. towards the end of classes. There were a few concerns with this idea - there is no way to be certain that the people you are walking with are safe, unsavoury characters could use it as a place to target victims, and you could also be waiting for people who don't arrive making it less safe as you end up leaving later than planned.

A possible solution for finding your way around campus - more creative signage
Through the use of signage on the floor or huge posters to help new students find there way around the campus. Although this seemed like a good idea, it does seem like more of an improvement on existing signage rather than a complete solution.

It became clear through our discussions that safety and accessibility were often linked e.g. unsafe waiting for a bus in the dark that only comes once an hour so we attempted to find actions that would benefit both concerns.

Chosen solutions for safety and accessibility
Firstly lay on a shuttle bus that runs to and from Bower Ashton and town, perhaps just at peak times e.g. evening. Benefits - safety for those that stay late, encourage a more social aspect of student life - students will use the bar more often as it is more accessible. Pedestrians and cyclists would use the bus more often - you could have more bike space on the shuttle bus as well - this could work in conjunction with the cycle to work scheme.
A bus tracking system linked by GPS could also be put in place that would be displayed in reception and on the internet that could show where buses are on there journey, when a bus is full to keep the bus users better informed as to whether it is worth waiting for the bus or just getting a cab.