Monday 6 April 2009

Kinked George Hospital update

Today we held our first protest against the recent King George Parking Initiative that now charges hospital staff for the privilidge of parking. This has resulted in increased local parking burden on surrounding roads often nuisance parking to the fore of resident drives. The hospital staff have been unfairly targetted in this new "Green Approach" to parking that provides no incentive not to drive to work other than to remove parking spaces? Moreover by penalising lower paid nurses and other hospital staff who are already struggling to make ends meet in the current economic climate - who is the winner with the scheme? Only the Hospital bank account methinks! If the Hospital wants to be Green... why not subsidise public transport or manage an "Adopt a Driver" scheme that would see people living in similar areas taking turns to drive to work or contributing towards petrol?

I am also challenging the existing policy to charge friends and family of the chronically and terminally illl patients at King George. We were supported by NHS staff and residenst alike and at one point over 40 people were in attendance at our protest. I will soon be arranging another similar protest.

2 comments:

  1. I have been working in the hospital for over 5 years now and have been living in heathfield park drive for over a year. I do not mind the staff who come and park in our street for the reasons given in the article. In the current situation of financial crisis people are trying to keep their jobs and save even if a penny. How unfair to impose such a high fee. Why can't we follow the exapmle of Scotland - free parking for all?

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  2. I agree Scotland seem to have a lot of good ideas such as the smoking ban and free university education to name but a few.

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