Hospital Car Park

[commish]

I see in today's Examiner that the Treasury is "inviting expressions of interest from organisations interested in providing Car Park Management Services at Noble's Hospital."

 

I know that there is supposed to be a problem with commuters abusing the car park by parking there and going to work on the bus, and this needs to be stopped. However, I hope that this is not just the Government's way of introducing pay-and-display parking at the Hospital. Surely visitors to the hospital - the day patients and people visiting patients - have enough to contend with without having to pay for parking and/or worrying about getting a parking ticket? Can Mr Quayle reassure us that this is not the case, please?

[Yin & Yang]

It's the ones who park then car pool into Douglas that are the problem! I've seen loads of them doing that when I've been up there - always between 8am and 8.45am!

[commish]

Well, that should be easy enough to deal with, surely, without having to punish everyone else?

[paswt]

limit parking to 2 or 4 hours perhaps?

[BigDave]

They should just do what they've done at the community health centre (old Nobles). Put barrier entry to the car park and to exit you need a token from the clinic or ward you're visiting. Simple and cheap.

Edited February 24, 2015 by BigDave

[Bobbie Bobster]

On the one hand, hospital car parking charges are something that is the norm in both adjacent islands. OTOH, another small erosion of the unique island experience.

[Uhtred]

I see in today's Examiner that the Treasury is "inviting expressions of interest from organisations interested in providing Car Park Management Services at Noble's Hospital."

 

However, I hope that this is not just the Government's way of introducing pay-and-display parking at the Hospital. Surely visitors to the hospital - the day patients and people visiting patients - have enough to contend with without having to pay for parking and/or worrying about getting a parking ticket? Can Mr Quayle reassure us that this is not the case, please?

Mr Quayle can't deal with reassurances at present. He'll consider the matter when he returns from Spain; New Zealand; Portugal; South Africa; Antarctica; the Moon; a parallel universe....etc...etc...etc.

[woody2]

more jobs, good news, cant see anything wrong?

[Wankleaks]

I see in today's Examiner that the Treasury is "inviting expressions of interest from organisations interested in providing Car Park Management Services at Noble's Hospital."

 

I know that there is supposed to be a problem with commuters abusing the car park by parking there and going to work on the bus, and this needs to be stopped. However, I hope that this is not just the Government's way of introducing pay-and-display parking at the Hospital. Surely visitors to the hospital - the day patients and people visiting patients - have enough to contend with without having to pay for parking and/or worrying about getting a parking ticket? Can Mr Quayle reassure us that this is not the case, please?

More wasted money. There has always been a problem with the hospital carpark: it's too small and always has been too small and the staff and workers themselves fill up so many spaces there are few left for those who actually use the hospital. Can we please have £50,000 in consultancy fees for pointing out the bleeding obvious? What's the guessing that "paid parking" is the only solution (again)?

Edited February 24, 2015 by Wankleaks

[Moghrey Mie]

It's the Ideal place for a proper Park and Ride scheme.

That would bring in revenue.

[Tarne]

Insufficient free parking in the capital forces people to find ways around paying for parking, so they park for free at the hospital...

Hmmm, I wonder where else charging for parking might cause unintended consequences...

[Monkey boy]

Parking at the hospital has been a problem from day one & is likely to be even worse now with the increase in population and commuters parking there.

The idea of paying a private contractor long thousands of pounds every year is a very expensive & inefficient way of sorting it out.

 

There is a large field on the left of the road to the hospital which is owned by the government. Also owned & employed by the government are the manpower and resources to turn some of it into a car park for a one off cost. It doesn't need to be anything fancy, it doesn't need lighting, CCTV, evern bay markings - al it needs is an expanse of tarmac which can handle overspill from the existing carpark and for commuters to park in if they want to.

If it was done basically enough I'm sure it could be done for less than a years spend on "parking management"

 

Sadly it'll never happen as it won't buy a new Porsche for some MHK's mate which is more then likely what this contract is intended to do.

[Non-Believer]

But does anybody think that the DOI are capable of producing a basic, no frills car park?

 

There would have to be a £25k design consultation, lighting visible from space, £100k rising bollards and gold plated kerbs. Think Horse's Home at £130k and add a bit more on for inflation (and kudos)

[wrighty]

I'll do an analysis for free. Here goes.

 

There are 4 types of people parking at the hospital - patients, staff, visitors, 'others' - the 'others' include people using it as a park and ride. For me, the order of priority for getting a space should be exactly that, and if charges are going to be introduced, the order of doing so should be the opposite.

 

In my experience it's usually not difficult to get a space. As someone's said above, the first thing to do is identify the level of the problem. Put in a barrier - free exit with a token for patients and genuine visitors, and give the staff a permit sticker for the windscreen that activates the exit. That may well solve the problem of capacity. If then it is decided that charging is required for revenue purposes it's all in place to charge first visitors, then staff for their permits, and finally, and hopefully it'll never come to this, patients.

 

Do I get £50,000?

[spook]

Someone has to pay for a hospital car park.

 

Why not the people who make use of it?

 

As for managing it that will be for someone to 'buy' the concession and operate the car park, probably paying a percentage of the profits back to the hospital.

 

It works well over here.

 

 

To add - in the case of most hospitals staff also pay to park. It's the accepted thing. After all a car belonging to a staff member us taking up just as much space as a visitor. Otherwise parking becomes a benefit in kind that should be taxable.

Edited February 24, 2015 by spook