I have an Inkling

OMG! its a post

So It's been a while since I posted last- and so I have probably lost all of my 2 readers. I can only attribute it to being a parent- and perhaps online computer games :)

even though I have not been in full time employment- the majority of my time is taken up with my child- and when I get a break I have been retreating into the world of Guild Wars.

But since Blogs are there to share thoughts, rant and so on.......I think I might exercise my right to rant.

HOSPITAL DEBARCLE
In recent months the local government has announced its plans to introduce pay-parking at the major hospital in this city. Now on first impressions, I though this plan sucked. The hospital has never had pay parking- and to require people to pay at a time when they were potentially vulnerable- or not pay and incur a hefty fine seemed just like a heartless revenue raising exercise.
Especially since they are introducing a 'pay-and-display' form of pay parking which forces the consumer to estimate the time they will be parking and pay for it up-front.

Well, I had the experience of trying to deliver a friend to the hospital for day surgery a few weeks past- and now I heartily endorse pay parking at the hospital- for the following reason.

It is a large hospital- with what I would consider ample parking- but do you think I could find a park anywhere? well there were permit parking only spaces, and Doctors only spaces- but no general parking spaces. In fact even the grass verges surrounding the main carpark were also covered in parked cars.
Was this a result of an epidemic or some major disaster? you ask. No. Actually after talking to some people who work there, they inform me that the problem is that the hospital is on a major thoroughfare, and within 10 min walk to a major town centre. What does that mean? Well, people don't want to pay for parking at the major towncentres where they work, so they park at the hospital for free, then catch a bus to work.

The result is that legitimate visitors to the hospital cannot find a park. In the end, I had to drive up to the pull in at the front door and just drop my friend off for his day surgery. Not the best situation, ss it was his first ever surgery and it would have been better to actually walk him to the durgery unti and wait with him until he went in.

On the next day, I was due to pick him up. No remember he had surgery the day before, so walking long dtstances was not on the cards. There is 'theoretically' parking under the day surgery unit building, but I could not find a free park. There were 'permit only' and 'doctor only' spots, but no free spaces. when it was 10min past my pick up time, I eventually went against the traffic signals "no entry' and parked in a 'permit- doctor only' car park (which had 5 cars and 30 spaces!), and risked a fine so I could pick him up.

So now I am all for pay parking, because it will discourage people trying for the free all day park and catch a bus to work. However I still have a moral obligation to pay and display. what if you don't have the right amount of change? what if you do and estimate the time it will take you, and your appointment/visit runs over (its a hospital- they never run on time!) you may come back to your car to find a fine. Or what if you overestimate and it takes you significantly less time- then you have wasted money- I bet the government is counting on that one (or am I being synical?).

Let me know what you think.

posted by Capital Mum @ 8:36 AM