Hospital Car Parking

[RASPUTINS-DOG]

I recently had to go to the John Radcliffe hospital and almost had to sign myself in for treatment after undergoing the car park maze....
Are all hospital car parks like this...

[chokkie]

Well, they are in the Midlands. Had a bit of a performance with my eye in late February and we ended up paying about £25.00 to get parked at three different places. Just as well I didn't have to pay for the prescription as well! And around our nearby teaching hospital in the Midlands, it's impossible to get parked because all the hospital staff park on-street because it costs such a fortune to park in the designated hospital carparks. Causes no end of chaos sometimes!

[gingejbee]

Since the J.R. is served by good public transport (including a Park&Ride service), a car should be used only in exceptional circumstances...this avoids the "no spaces available" and extortionate charges scenarios.

[ladyalex]

Trouble is that often , when attending hospital, you do want a car to take you there rather than a bus ....which might not have a convenient stop at the 'home' end of the journey.

[Peter Pedant]

The car parking is usually sub contracted to a firm of typical shysters who have no compunction about ripping off the sick and their relatives.

The hospital itself will shrug its shoulders and say nothing to do with us

yes it is like that being ill all over the country

[douglas9401]

Not in auld Scotia where NHS hospitals were sent homeward tae think again re parking charges years ago.

[bookbinder]

I sometimes use some of the hospitals in the Leeds area, and here are the parking charges that apply:
http://www.leedsth.nhs.uk/patient-and-visitor-information/patient-information/getting-to-hospital/
As regards access, I prefer the multi-storey car park at St. James', because you take a ticket on entry, then pay at a machine before you collect your car. You pay for the time that you have been parked. Some of the other car parks are pay and display, but I don't really like them, because you don't always know how long you're going to be there, and you might end up paying too much.

[Peter Pedant]

^^^^ country of England I mean

[andy-hughes]

I think charging patients or staff to park at a hospital is immoral.

[bednobs]

problem is andy, most hospitals are near towns or centres, therefore if there was free parking, people wanting to go into town would just take up the spaces.
The JR is extremely well served by busses as is oxford in general There are at least 4 park and rides depending on which direction you are approaching the city. The bus stop is more convenient for the entrance that any of the parking spaces too, so even if you are disabled, it's easier to get the bus

[Sqad]

Hospital car park in Mahon, Menorca is spacious, unlimited parking and free.

[stuey]

That might be so, sqad; however, the return airfare to the hospital in the UK would be quite expensive.

[Samuraisan]

As is the one on the Costa del Sol.

[Sqad]

LOL^^^^

[andy-hughes]

bednobs - // problem is andy, most hospitals are near towns or centres, therefore if there was free parking, people wanting to go into town would just take up the spaces. //

Then you adopt a simple payment return system for anyone who advises reception that they are visiting or being admitted - with car reg. taken at the time. It's not rocket science.

[237SJ]

How would the payment return system work? How would the hospital reception staff (who have enough to do) be able to verify the car registration with the patient/visitor? They don`t have access to the DVLA system.