Free parking will bring frustration
IT was interesting to read Cleethorpes MP Shona McIsaac's Viewpoint letter about hospital car parking charges and how unfair and costly they are for people visiting loved ones in hospital.
She personally knows people who would love to visit friends and relatives in hospital more often, but simply cannot afford to due to the high cost of parking.
She says that readers of Viewpoint may be interested to know that hospital car parking charges are to be phased out and that this will make a difference in the day-to-day lives of a great many people. You bet your life it will!
The people it will make a great difference to are the same ones who probably helped bring in our hospital car parking charges in the first place.
These people are the ones who work in Top Town, Freshney Place, Freeman Street etc. They park in the hospital car park in the early morning, catch the bus to Top Town etc and then back to the hospital car park at night to pick up their cars. They will welcome no car parking charges with open arms as it costs an arm and a leg to park all day, every day, in Top Town etc.
By taking up a great many of these car parking places, they deprive visitors to the hospital of much needed car parking spaces, thereby stopping people from visiting friends and relatives in hospital as they cannot find anywhere to park.
I can see that this free hospital car parking could be more heartbreaking and frustrating than paying to park. At least by paying to park there are some car parking spaces available. There won't be once free hospital car parking comes in again, as the Top Town etc brigade will have bagged them all first.
Ian T Cartwright, Seacroft Road, Cleethorpes.
Hospital spokesman Simon Rigg says
"There was a national consultation about car parking charges which we responded to at the beginning of the year which we are waiting the results of. It's correct to say that prior to instituting charges at the Diana, Princess of Wales Hospital in 1999 there were reports of cars being left all day on the hospital site while people caught the bus into town to avoid paying parking charges in the town centre. "It is also true to say that at present the charges for parking are used to support the security staff at the hospital, and since their introduction we have seen crime – particularly car crime – cut by up to 75 per cent. We await the results of the national consultation and whatever guidance is issued with interest. However, no guidance has yet been issued to hospitals in England."
5 Comments
by david, peterborough
Friday, March 12 2010, 10:39AM
“Well said, Linda, Cleethorpes. And of course the fit ones can walk, there's a novelty!”
by Pensioner, Immingham
Thursday, March 11 2010, 3:45PM
“Hospital spokesman Simon Rigg says one thing but means another:
Allow me to recode his weaselly words!
We don't have any "thinking" persons at Scarthoe road hospital, even astronomically paid executives cannot serve local needs and wishes. As an excuse for not being capable of serving local people, we will hide behind advice specifically not related to our area!
Surely we can employ some mature managers capable of serving hospital users needs. Car parking charges don't figure very high on their day to day maintenance of their salary and perks and plush offices!”
by A Person, Grimsby
Thursday, March 11 2010, 9:13AM
“We have paid for the hospital to be built. We pay the wages for it's staff. We pay for the equipment and the medicines used to treat people. We pay for the computers and stationary. We pay for the tea drank at meetings. We pay for away days and award ceremonies. All of those things and more come from our taxes. The one thing all of those billions of pounds don't fund, apparantly, is car parking. So a local tax has been introduced by the hospital on the ill and the families of the ill.
Oh, and we even pay for a 'PR' man to come out and blatantly lie about people parking at the hospital to nip into town. What codswallop. I worked there before and after the fees were introduced - it made no difference.”
by Pensioner, Immingham
Wednesday, March 10 2010, 3:30PM
“As a council tax payer to the Humberside police, I expect them to control crime even on the hospital car park. Ironically every time I have been to the hospital the police have always been there!
The NHS was set up to provide free health care to all. Setting up pay as you leave car parking charges is at best out of touch with the people they serve or worst leaning on already distressed patients and visitors at their most vulnerable.
There must be some of the cleverest people and management working at Scartho road.....is it beyond them to stop park and ride? If so they don't deserve to earn high executive salary's.
The last exchange we had with a security staff member was complaining about his lack of authority. He openly told some smokers they could smoke at the entrance because of the bad weather. We had to push past them and endure the stink in the entrance.”
by Linda, cleethorpes
Wednesday, March 10 2010, 3:29PM
“people complain about the cost of carparking at the hospital, you can afford to go visiting by car but cannot afford the parking, dont go in you car then, go by public transport,oh but then that costs money as well. as some people say if its made free, then you will never get a space as it will always be full, so every one will complain again”