Project Results
I . First progress report (March 2, 2009)
Activities undertaken:
1. Launching capacity building and environmental awareness through Bicycle Days and Bicycle Tours and seminars
2. Demonstrating activities to solicit bicycle donation and repair/maintenance for public bicycles
3. Demonstrating activities ? Bicycle for Freshman? through lending/borrowing services
4. Launching wider campaigns for policy support on bicycle use among university executives, municipality and local academic institutes
Results of activities:
1. Targeted population participating in cycling every Tuesday. Inspiring phone calls for additional information on activities and bicycle donation being received
2. From 1 Sep 2008 to 28 Feb 2009 , 130 persons in the PSU campus participating in Bicycle Day , with majority using their own bicycles
3. Received donation of 35 used bicycles through cooperation of the University?s Student Activities Division
4. Lent 18 bicycles for students and staff to used during working hours
Project communication:
1. Signboards/posters in the campus inviting more members to participate in cycling
2. E-mail message of PSU?s public relation office and website
3. Through loud speaker
4. Through PSU radio ( Comsci radio), every Wednesday FM.105.5 Mhz.
Experience ,lessons learnt, problems and issues:
Project implementation was welcomed by various types of stakeholders. Some participated as an exercise , some as recreating activities, while some did because they really want to see changes within the campus. Nonetheless, there were some issues as follows:
1. Activity on bicycle days was organized after working hours resulting in limited numbers of activities
2. Current civil unrest in the three southern provinces resulted in limited number of activities outside the campus.
3. Discussion to expand target population still required intensive communication
Project expense:
The project report the expense of THB: 100,000 out of the first disbursement of THB:268,326.43
II. Project site visit by the NC and NSC (November 13, 2009):
Findings and observation:
The 41-year-old Prince of Songkhla University Pattani Campus and its surrounding communities was not specifically designed for bicycle use. Fifteen minutes during a rush hour, a score of automobiles and several scores of motor-bikes were seen on Charoenpradit Road- the main road leading to the campus. These motor vehicles were heading into the campus bringing their riders to daily activities. On the same road, students and communities members on bicycles were also spotted, at an approximately two bikes per minute. This short scenery might discourage any one who supported the idea and action to stabilize the emission rate of Carbondioxide belching from transportation sector. This Carbondioxide is a major green house gas that has made the world a hotter place to live.
But look at what were happening inside the campus. Through sharing the idea with university staff, the project was successful to slow down the increase of number of motorbikes and encourage students and staff to use bicycles more in commuting within the campus and dormitories off-campus. Since the beginning of the 2009, the university highly recommended first year students to use bicycles for daily activities and supported the idea of using bicycle for academic and social activities. So far about a hundred used bicycles left unattended by departing graduates were granted to the project so that they would be repaired for further use, let alone the ban of motorbikes into inner area of the dormitories.
As a component of project activities to promote bicycle use, ecosystems study trail of one and-a-half kilometer long situated at the back of the campus was established. Students and members of civil society who were interested in such learning were required to use bicycles to travel the trail.
Besides, the university staff displayed its supportive role by including bike lanes in a new phase of land development. The new area would accommodate a big dormitory , a new building for the faculty of political science and university sport complex. It was not wrong to say that the bike lanes would be the first ones in the campus.
After visiting the site in and outside the campus, the visiting team was honoured by the Faculty of Science and Technology to share experience for two hours with a group of first year students who majored on biology. The two main shared subject were community adaptation to climate change based on examples of back GEF SGP-supported projects and community contribution to mitigate climate change based on concepts and practice of GEF SGP.
Based on the report presented by the project in conjunction with findings from the visiting team, the students and community required both motor-bikes and bikes for different purpose. There were thousands of students residing between 20-30 miles from the campus who needed to go back home during weekend saw that motor-bike was the first choice of transport, unless the public transport system was improved.
Record of country contribution:
Prince of Songkhla University?s Faculty of Science and Technology in kindly supported this project site visit by providing
- One night of accommodation for the visiting team = THB: 700.
- Transport from Had Yai airport-project site-Had Yai airport = THB: 6,000.
III . Second progress report (February 9, 2010)
Activities undertaken:
1. Keeping on launching capacity building and environmental awareness through Bicycle Days and Bicycle Tours and seminars
2. Keeping on demonstrating activities ? Bicycle for Freshman? through lending/borrowing services
Results of activities:
1. Over 500 persons in project location participating in the activities, expressing desire to the project to continue such activities
2. Ten more bicycles being lent while a number returned for the next generation to use
3. bicycles being used to collect data & information of researches on biological diversity within PSU
4. Evinced intact relationship between community members around the campus and students
Project communication:
The project was made more visible and understood through website and e-mail, local newspaper ( Bhumitani ) and loud speakers.
Experience ,lessons learnt, problems and issues:
To ensure optimal participation, the project experienced that some activities should also be conducted during day time , maybe during weekends. In addition, two other supplementary activities, Bicycle Student Movement, and Manual Tricycle Conservation Fund, needed to be setup to contribute to project sustainability. The former aimed to solicit volunteers serving as the coordinating points to ensure optimal participation, the second to financially assist remaining small population in the province who earn living through providing labour in public transportation by paddling. The assistance would be used for repairing their tricycles and incentive to conserve this occupation.
Project expense:
The project reported the accumulated expense of THB: 300,000 out of the sum of the first & second disbursement of THB: 543,574.44.
IV. Completion report (May 2, 2011):
Date of Participatory Evaluation( April 2011):
Number of Beneficiaries/ Participating personnel:
Women: 1,551
Men: 538
Children: 25
Number of persons trained/ attending seminars, joining study tours:
Women: -
Men: -
Children: -
Expense:
Amount received from SGP (3 disbursements): Baht: 798,749.88
Total amount spent out of SGP budget: Baht: 858,252
Balance: Baht: (-59,502.12)
Amount authorized for the final payment: US$: 2,563.54
Amount Received from others: THB: - (in cash)
THB: 145,000 (in kind)
Activities undertaken:
1. Launching capacity building and environmental awareness through Bicycle Days and Bicycle Tours and seminars
2. Demonstrating activities to solicit bicycle donation and repair/maintenance for public bicycles
3. Demonstrating activities ? Bicycle for Freshman? through lending/borrowing services
4. Launching wider campaigns for policy support on bicycle use among university executives, municipality and local academic institutes
Results and indicators:
1. There being 200 bicycles with issued license plates being continuously used within the campus (License Plante no.Mor Or 0001 - Mor Or 0200), including a numerous target population participating in the ? Bicycle Riding to Share Ideas for Social Development? every Wednesday
2. The recorded 513 lending/borrowing of bicycles
3. One new network (Graduate Volunteer for 3 Southern Province) coming into being and borrowing 20 bicycles for its activities with youth
4. The campus management being moved to provide more bike lanes to absorb / promote more bicycle uses in the future
5. The project being known by wider population who at times wished to borrow the bicycles from the project
Project Communication:
Plans and Activities for Sustainability:
The project planned to proceed with its activities by
1.promoting the use of bicycles for academic or health promoting activities among wider population at no cost.
2.retaining free bicycle clinic activities
3.using bicycles as mechanism for environment activities with the Bicycle Student Movement Group , the Bicycle Network for Homeland, and several other networks in project location and other provinces.
Experience , Lessons Learnt , Problems and Issues:
The project related that working with students was very useful, as young generation naturally possessed high potential and power. Nevertheless, students had class attendance as a priority, resulting in some slight delay of planned activities. Other issue was unfavorable weather condition, especially , rain. As to the notorious social unrest in the three southern provinces, the project regarded it as the least significant ? that was the reason behind the undertaken activities so far.
