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Free hospital car parks.

Why Frank? Are hospitals some sort of leisure destination? I can't imagine why anyone would want to visit ours unless they needed care. It's in the middle of nowhere.

I had to take the current Mrs Chris there very recently actually. She fell and broke her leg. We arrived at 23.00 hrs and left at 03.30 the next morning. The car parks were pretty much empty as you'd expect.

Well at least at that time of night, visiting for an emergency, the parking would be free, no? No it wasn't.

£6.10

Since then, I've had to take her back on two further. So far the NHS free at point of need has cost me nearly £20.What the cost of parking does do is force people to park elsewhere. All around the hospital, every verge, farm gate and lay by is packed with people who won't or cant' afford to pay.

It's a massive money maker - for someone.
 
Our local Hospital (St. John's, Livingston) abolished parking charges a few years ago - now its almost impossible to park there if you have an appointment during the day.

My wife has to go there regularly for tests - I drive her, drop her off at the main door and go home - returning for her when she 'phones.

The charges used to be quite high (c. £5.00 per visit from memory) which was a pain; however you could drive there and park in those days.

Out of normal hours the car park is only lightly used.

The Staff have their own car park so its unlikely to be them.

To charge or not to charge is a difficult question to answer.

Bob.
 
This is about like having to pay to drop someone off at an airport, all money making as Chris says
 
There are massive car parking facilities at ours and it's pay 24hrs. Despite that, after breakfast time, there's no space to be had at all. Every single car park is full. The drop off area is tiny and in a dreadful place. Who all of these people are is hard to say as staff too have their own parks. So clearly they need to be there because no one would pay otherwise. Perhaps it's symptomatic of the strain the NHS is under. There's just too many people needing its services.

I think that Bob is right. each location needs its own assessment and plan. I city centre hospital with no controls would be full by 07.00. Our hospital is surrounded by fields. No one would want to park there. It used to be free. And full. Now it's not free and still full. All that's changed is someone's made more money from it.
If I were a local farmer, I'd open up a field, but sum substrate down and charge a few quid. They'd be full dawn til dusk.

There must be ways making parking free for certain people at certain times. If you have an appointment then why can't there be a bar code that allows parking around that time for example? If you're visiting, then maybe you pay. Visiting hours are restricted at our unit, therefore charges could be suitably structured too. I mean coming to A&E in the dead of night, £6.00. Really?
 
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Hospital car parks are free in Wales now, but finding a place at our local one is not easy. The hospital is far enough away from the town centre to make it unlikely that people are parking there for other than hospital visits, there are just not enough spaces provided.
 
Not had to pay for a couple of years at ours, in Wales. Hard to park. But always was. Again, can't see why anyone would be there who wasn't in the hospital. It just means you can't buy your way to the easiest access now.

No one pays for prescriptions either.
 
The Train station Car park at Newark was always empty but the Roads opposite were always jam packed with cars Bumped up on the Pavement, And parked across the gateway to one of our fields.. I would often go down with the Tractor and Yank 'em' out the way and leave 'em' in the road, Then phone the 'Cops' and tell them what id done... So if your from Newark and returned to your car one day and it wasn't quite where you left it, Yes it was me. And my mate Niel..:angry-nono:
 
Yeah if people have to pay for a car park it's amazing how far away they will leave their car to avoid it. Around Russells Hall Hospital, our local, the roads are filled with parked cars. My wife, who worked there, had to start paying for the car ark. Other staff left their cars miles away and walked in.
 
Why Frank? Are hospitals some sort of leisure destination? I can't imagine why anyone would want to visit ours unless they needed care. It's in the middle of nowhere.

I had to take the current Mrs Chris there very recently actually. She fell and broke her leg. We arrived at 23.00 hrs and left at 03.30 the next morning. The car parks were pretty much empty as you'd expect.

Well at least at that time of night, visiting for an emergency, the parking would be free, no? No it wasn't.

£6.10

Since then, I've had to take her back on two further. So far the NHS free at point of need has cost me nearly £20.What the cost of parking does do is force people to park elsewhere. All around the hospital, every verge, farm gate and lay by is packed with people who won't or cant' afford to pay.

It's a massive money maker - for someone.

people park in them and then go shopping or working elsewhere.
 
It all boils down to 'Over Population', and no car park attendant like in the 'old days'
 
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