Al-Muthanna University provided free shuttle services for the employees and students. This shuttle service can be classified into two categories:
- Transferring employees from their living areas to campuses.
- Moving employees and students from one destination to other inside the campuses.
All above shuttle services are controlled by departments inside the main campus. Some pictures of the university transportation shuttle services are shown in the figure below.
By setting up some policies, Al-Muthanna University has been able to reduce the parking area on campus by about 10%-30%. Some of those policies aimed at not-allowing student’s cars and taxis from entering campuses. Other policies have helped to encourage staff to use university’s vehicles (e.g. free buses and mini-buses, car sharing) instead of their private cars. In addition, a priority has been given to create gardens and other open spaces over car parking areas.
Transportation Initiatives to Decrease Private Vehicles on Campus
Al-Muthanna University has taken several significant steps to reduce the number of private vehicles entering the campuses. Below are some of those initiatives:
- A few buses have been provided by the university to be used for free.
- Pedestrian paths were built around and through campuses to encourage people to walk instead of using vehicles.
- Some cars (saloons and minibuses) have been employed to transport employees from their homes to the university, which has helped to reduce the number of private cars entering the university and to more raise the awareness of car sharing benefits.
- Al-Muthanna University has set a policy to prevent students from bringing their vehicles inside campuses. This policy has prevented so many private vehicles from entering campuses.
Pedestrian Path Policy on Campus
Great efforts have been made at Al-Muthanna University to design and build pedestrian paths across campuses in a way that separates them from roads where vehicles run. These pedestrian paths are located around buildings, so people can walk safely without worrying about ongoing cars. In short, pedestrian paths are available everywhere across Al-Muthanna University’s campuses. Furthermore, some features have been added to increase the efficiency of these paths and make them more convenient. Firstly, 220 street lamps have been installed for night walks. Solar panels automatically power these lamps, making them friendly to the environment. In addition, some of these paths have been provided with disabled-friendly ramps. Lastly, guide signs have been located through those paths so people can know where to go quickly.
