Park and ride plan for staff in Shropshire hospital car parks crisis

It comes after staff claimed they were being stung with up to £80 fines due to not being able to find a space to park before a shift.

Those who work at Telford's Princess Royal Hospital (PRH) and Royal Shrewsbury Hospital (RSH) pay a regular fee and are issued with a permit enabling them to park on site.

However, there are not enough parking spaces to accommodate everyone, and many end up having to park in unofficial areas.

Sharon Colley, acute oncology clinical nurse specialist at RSH, said that along with other members of staff she has been fined for not parking in the staff car park.

She said: "I have worked at Shrewsbury since June 2014 and parking has definitely become more of an issue.

"The ticketing of staff simply trying to park and get to work has become more prolific.

"Telford is even worse. Cars get stuck and churn up the grass as many people have to park on grass verges.

"I travel from Staffordshire which takes about one hour 15 minutes and then can spend 15 to 20 minutes looking for a staff space.

"Invariably I end up parking on a scrap of tarmac or grass where I can't cause an obstruction or park in the patient and visitor car park just so I can get into work on time, which sometimes I don't.

"Permits are charged on your salary banding. When I started they were £7.50. They were doubled last year to £15 a month.

"I'm so fed up of myself and my colleagues stressing about parking and then being targeted by parking attendants."

Hospital bosses say at peak times there is a shortfall of up to 200 spaces, particularly at PRH.

They have now come up with new ways to tackle the problem including a new park and ride scheme and a new parking system.

Julia Clarke, director of corporate governance at The Shrewsbury and Telford Hospital NHS Trust, said: "The demand for staff car parking is one of the biggest issues we currently face.

"At peak times, we have a shortfall of up to 200 spaces, particularly at PRH which has led to issues with vehicles being regularly parked in inappropriate and potentially unsafe areas, such as on grass verges or blocking pavements.

"The obvious solution would be to build more parking spaces, but we can't because we don't have the capital to do so - it costs around £3,000 per space – and much of the undeveloped land on the PRH site does not belong to the trust, and we would be unlikely to get planning permission.

"A recent study has revealed that over 80 per cent of vehicles that come into our hospital grounds do not carry any passengers and we are therefore taking steps to encourage people to think about how they travel to work.

"We will be allocating 'premium' car parking spaces to reward car sharers and will also be restricting the issue of car parking permits for most staff who live within one mile of each hospital site.

"Other initiatives include implementing a 'pay-as-you-park' system, whereby staff will only be charged for the days their vehicles are on-site. This gives staff the opportunity to reduce their monthly permit charge by leaving their car at home and find another way to get to work, even if it's just occasionally.

"We are also looking at a free park and ride shuttle bus that starts on the outskirts of the each hospital and then travels to and from both site, so staff can park and then travel to the site on the bus.

"We've already improved our facilities to support staff to use alternatives to driving to work. Improvements have included the introduction of more cycle shelters at the RSH, with more on the way at PRH.

"We've also improved shower and changing facilities, and are working with local partners to improve cycling and walking access onto and around both hospital sites.

"We have also negotiated staff discounts of up to 20 per cent on bus tickets with Arriva, which are conveniently available from all of our cash offices.

"Further travel options are also being developed to help our staff to consider alternatives to driving to work."