Lipsius bike parking to become green meeting place
The bicycle parking area in front of the Lipsius building will definitely no longer be used for bicycle parking. Instead, this space will be transformed into an inviting meeting place in a green setting.
This decision was taken with a view to improving traffic flow, safety and hospitality around the Humanities Faculty buildings. We noticed that in the past the bike park was often overcrowded, the emergency exits of the Lipsius were blocked, and bikes were packed in too tightly, causing damage and leading to wild parking. From the beginning of the first lecture week, students and staff were therefore asked to park their bikes in the covered shelters under the Lipsius and Reuvens buildings.
Evaluation
This new situation has been evaluated with the Leiden municipality (owner of the bike parking area) and local residents. Recent weeks have shown that, despite more intensive use, there is sufficient space in the covered bicycle shelters. We also see that the removal of the bike racks next to the Lipsius has caused little nuisance in the public area. The municipality has therefore approved the plan to transform the bike parking area into a green meeting place.
Green meeting place
An initial draft for the redesign of the bike parking area is currently being drawn up in discussion with the municipality. This will be a temporary layout, to be used by everyone until the area is definitively developed as part of the Humanities Campus. In the temporary layout, the focus will be on creating a green space. The new layout is planned to be ready before the end of 2023.