Letter: Hospital parking is a real joke
After spending the past two weeks in the excellent care of staff at the Royal Shrewsbury Hospital, I became aware of the well documented hideous parking arrangements at the RSH.
After spending the past two weeks in the excellent care of staff at the Royal Shrewsbury Hospital, I became aware of the well documented hideous parking arrangements at the RSH.
First and most it is frustrating for the staff who arrive stressed after touring the staff parking areas for a space, which they have to pay for, to find no spaces and then having to use the visitors’ area and then paying again for doing so.
And then my visitors who attempted to visit me on several occasions but could not find a parking space with no help at all from the persons in the goldfish bowl parking attendant’s hut – the very same ones that are unsympathetic to nurses trying to find parking.
However, when you consider that those helping to make these decisions sit pretty with their free parking at establishments around the county they have not given a thought to a resolve to the problem.
There is a simple solution – operate a park and ride service Monday to Friday within the hospital visiting hours between the existing Oxon Park and Ride site and the hospital. I am sure the council and Arriva will have a multitude of excuses as to why they could not, but I am sure one of the private operators would undertake the task.
This would enable the staff car park at the hospital to be expanded, turn the car park over to the voluntary sector so no shareholders or profits are sought by companies operating the car park before the NHS gets its cut, and allow patients to have their visitors which, at the end of the day, aids recovery.
It’s a simple plan, but perhaps a little too joined-up for Shropshire Council. After all they have a traffic island to remove in Smithfield Road that was an urgent need.
Graham Oliver
Shrewsbury
Comments for: "Letter: Hospital parking is a real joke"
mark rickards
just had a baby i agree had to wait over hour to get parking space and the staff in the box look at you as if say what you want us do about it... should have a short stay and long stay parking. i just went to street parking up side streets cost nowt in the end saved me paying 2 pounds a time for 8 visits hospital
Roger
I completely agree with you. The answer is public transport and based on the park and ride schemes.
I have an appointment at the RHS in August at 9:15AM and I have a bus pass. Can I use my pass - NO. Not for use on the Park and Ride and not for use before 09:30 AM. So I must either, use the normal services at full cost, or drive and pay the parking fee.
My preferred method would be the park and ride from Tesco's and up to the hospital but the cost is prohibitive.
My wider view is that we need to look at the public transport system entirely and use it to promote best practices including, transport to the hospital, reduced pollution, reduced congestion, reducing the pressure on parking spaces to free them up for visitors, reduce drinking and driving, and enabling increased use of the Town Centre etc.
I would start with the park and ride skeleton, and build on it.
A circular service as follows
P&R Tesco, Morrisons, Railway Station, Pride Hill, Asda, Sainsburys, P&R Meole, RSH, P&R Oxen, Bus station, Tesco P&R. With a service in the reverse order.
One payment for one trip anywhere in the loop. Bus passes accepted at all times. Operating from 05:00 to Midnight. frequencies to be adjusted to meet demand.
Parking not to be a prerequisite. All of the other bus services can then be over laid to match demand at commercial rates. This would put a bus service anywhere in the town to anywhere in the town within a reasonable walking distance and serve all major destinations for work, shopping, entertainment and the Hospital with no need to even own a car. Those with cars can park and ride to keep cars out of town whilst encouraging people to visit the town centre.
Telford Ron
When was this contract put out to Tender?
How many companies showed interest in tendering?
How long is the next contract to last for?
I feel a Freedom of Informatio Act enquiry coming on
Colin.Dodd.
I may be wrong, but wasn't the hospital, including the car parks, built with public money, for use by the public?
If so, it seems, to me anyway, morally wrong that a private company can sit there, doing nothing, and trouser about £500,000 a year.
Surely, there is someone at the hospital who is capable of running the car parks more efficiently than the current lot are doing. Give them the job, boot out these leeches, and plough the cash earned back into the hospital, I feel sure less people would complain about parking charges then. I would sooner pay £3 a day to the hospital, than give the car park operators £2.
Roger
I was under the impression that the car park attendants got paid to collect the fees and control the traffic but all parking charges went to the hospital for the upkeep of roads parking etc. with the surpluses going to the hospital. At least that's how I remember it from when the charges were introduced. The argument being that this would add to hospital funds rather than take costs from funds.
I support that, but I would not support the company keeping all the money regardless of their responsibilities. It was and should be a labour only contract. It could be direct labour but I would accept privatisation of this small non essential service if the costs were equal or less.
The Dr
I can have a force of voluntarty workers in who will keep the park, assisit find parking spaces , take the money and give all proceeds back to the Shropshire NHS, not to share holders, not to employees,
SillySarah
I have often made this comment myself - an extension to the Oxon Park & Ride Scheme during the day would be the answer to the parking problem at RSH.
I have visited the hospital myself on some 15-20 occasions so far this year - some for my ante-natal appointments, and some for my husbands operation/out-patient appointments. The cost we have acknowledged as being necessary - but what is annoying is that having travelled some distance - 25 miles in my case, you sometimes just can't find anywhere to park. I don't feel I have any choice really - when I lived in Shrewsbury it was more convenient and cost-effective to catch a bus.
The roads and paths are poorly maintained, and the parking bays are not clearly marked as the paint has worn away. On one occasion, the parking machine swallowed all my money and didn't produce a ticket.