Fudan University has rejected demands from neighboring residents to open its new campus in Yangpu district so that they can have a shorter walk to the subway.

The university has banned most residents of Shangjingyuan, a neighboring public rental housing development, from entering the campus, adding about 20 minutes to the commute for residents who use Line 10, said Sheng Liqing, one of the development's residents.

"If the university opened the new campus to residents, daily commuters could save 20 minutes walking to the Line 10 station at Xinjiangwancheng," Sheng told the Global Times Thursday.

For its part, the university plans to open its new Jiangwan campus to passers-through once construction is completed, a university press officer told the Global Times.

Residents have tried several times to negotiate with university officials over the issue, but haven't managed to reach an agreement.

In a letter to the university's president, a resident surnamed Wang suggested that the university issue special temporary permits to residents so they can enter the campus.

"But the responses we received haven't been satisfactory. We feel that the university is procrastinating," said Sheng, who moved to the neighborhood at the end of April.

The university believes that the issue is less about convenience and more about safety. "Because part of the campus remains under construction, we have temporarily prohibited people other than students from entering," the press officer told the Global Times.

After construction on the public housing development was completed earlier this year, Yangpu district added a bus line to take residents to the metro station during morning and afternoon rush hours.

However, Sheng pointed out that the bus line doesn't run in the morning past 8:15 am, so many residents still prefer to cut through the campus to the subway.

A Yangpu district official said they were aware of the problem.

"Currently, only about 50 percent of the development's apartments are occupied, and the bus companies need to consider whether a line is profitable," said Li Rong, a press officer for the Yangpu district government.