The British Parking Association (BPA) has affirmed its support for “fair and transparent” management of hospital parking following the publication of a recent Which? report on the issue.
Which? used Freedom of Information requests to identify England’s “best and worst” car parks, basing its rankings on criteria including capacity, convenience of payment methods, frequency and type of penalties, charging structure and profits, and communication with patients. Its survey followed earlier research that found parking made hospital visits “more stressful for 49% of people”. According to the survey, Royal Derby Hospital received 82 parking-related complaints from hospital visitors in 2008-09, making its car park the “most complained about”, while Leicester Royal Infirmary was singled out as “among the best” for its “large number of priority spaces”, “generous provision of free parking for priority users”, and “excellent patient communication”. In response to the survey, the BPA, reportedly Europe’s largest independent professional association for parking and traffic management, emphasised its continued support for “reasonable and proportionate enforcement”, and for car park charges to remain in place. It said that in March it had circulated to all UK NHS Trusts a Charter for Hospital Parking, “designed to help and encourage parking management systems fair for all”. The Association said: “Hospital parking is subject to supply and demand like any other commodity or service, so charging is important, but Trusts should offer concessionary parking where appropriate. Charges were not introduced to generate income, but rather to ensure that key staff, and bona-fide patients and visitors, can park. Without income to support car park maintenance, funds that should be dedicated to healthcare provision would have to be used instead.” Arguing that it was “ultimately patients and visitors” who benefited from managed hospital car parks, the BPA said it was “absolutely critical” that hospitals – particularly those within urban areas – set car parking charges “at a rate which will deter commuters and shoppers who may abuse the system, as was the case before charges were introduced”. CEO Patrick Troy said: “Good parking management raises standards in hospital car parks to the benefit of all users. Money raised from charges should be ploughed back into maintaining and enhancing car park facilities to raise standards still further. “Our Charter is gaining support from a number of NHS Trusts, including Blackpool and Poole, North Tees and Hartlepool, and Milton Keynes. All have indicated their support by signing the Charter, and more are expected to follow in the coming weeks.”
