Battle on parking hell near Dudley hospital
Saturday 19th February 2011, 7:00PM GMT.
A parking “nightmare” in roads surrounding a Black Country hospital is to be tackled by council leaders.
But some local people are disappointed that a plan for residents-only permits has been rejected. Residents will be consulted about alternative proposals to deter drivers from parking in streets near Russell’s Hall Hospital, Dudley.
They say hospital staff continue to clog surrounding streets with cars, despite the opening of a 691-space car park at the site.
Miss Christina Brett, a 38-year-old mother-of-five, of Byron Street, said: “Parking by staff and visitors to Russells Hall Hospital overspilling into our road causes an absolute nightmare for us. They park up on the pavements from 6.30am to 11pm – or even through the night – and we have to squeeze past to get into our homes.”
The council is now consulting about proposals for restricted access to Pearce Close, Dereton Close, Abbotsford Drive and Elgar Crescent and waiting restrictions in Middlepark Road, The Oval, Ashenhurst Road and Kingswinford Road on weekdays from 10 to 11am and 2 to 3pm.
A loading ban in High Street, Pensnett, is suggested on weekdays from 7.30 to 9.30am and 4.30 to 6.30pm and a “no waiting at any time” restriction on Kingswinford Road.
Double yellow lines are proposed in Tennyson Street, Milton Street and Byron Street and limited parking for Pensnett Road from Mondays to Saturdays.
Details can be viewed at the Council House, Mary Stevens Park, Stourbridge, or at www.dudley.gov.uk by selecting the traffic consultation database.
By Louise Jew
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Create a monster and it has to be fed! RHH is far too large for the area it occupies. It is also intimidating to elederly people who need to find various departments. RHH is here to stay thanks to egotistical beurocrats who see projects like this as some sort of achievement on their CV. Please listen to the local electorate in future. We didn’t want it and still don’t! Give us back our NHS. TA!
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If they restrict parking nearby it will only push the cars further out into surrounding streets thus just moving the misery to “someone elses backyard.” The opportunity was missed building a carpark with just 691 spaces they should have consulted staff to get an idea of how many spaces would be needed for those alone and then added more for patients and visitors etc.
I remember some 30 years ago Mr Tebbit said “if you can’t find work – get on your bike.” people Didn’t get on their bikes though, they bought cars, the result? More congestion and greenhouse gasses with some folk I know travelling 140+ miles per day to get to and from where they work.
They cannot seriously expect people to catch more than two buses to get to work because dispite much improvement they are just not reliable enough. Shift patterns dictate many workers need to be at work before 6am for these people to have to rely on public transport is a joke. In many areas buses don’t start running until about 6am.
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And can I also ask why people park on double yellow lines on the main road past the hospital?
Presumably to avoid car parking charges.
But they are 60/70 yards away from the disabled spaces on the car park!
If they can make it to the hospital from there why do they need blue badges?
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Amazing….you build a huge hospital with inadequate car parking for staff and visitors then wonder why this happens…..
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Great. So all that happens is they park 200 yards further down the road!! Come on you council idiots give us resident only permits and start ticketing the people that park with no regard to other peoples safety and quality of life!!
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Why reject the permits, how stupid of the council.
Putting the restricted access down to 2 hours a day isn’t gonna do much, and it doesn’t help residents who have to park on the pavement for certain reasons, whether it be they don’t have a drive or have too many cars for the space provided on their drive.
It is getting ridiculous now, if you are a resident parking on the street and have to move your car during the day even if it’s only for 15 minutes, you worry whether you’re going to get back outside your house.
They shouldn’t be allowed to park anywhere in the streets that residents need to get to. Not only do they stop residents parking on by their houses but they also cause trouble for residents trying to park on their drives, I am blocked in when trying to get on my drive two cars either side right up to the white line and then a car opposite.
Something needs to be, residents have been suffering for too long!
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I don’t think this solve much, if anything..it will simply move the problem somewhere else.
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On a recent visit I saw the vast majority of disabled bays were empty, with badge holders choosing to park on the main road to avoid car parking fees. If they can walk that far they should have their badges revoked. I couldnt park my car to take my baby for an appointments as only disabled bays empty. Not fair.
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Yellow lines and parking restriction are all well and good but will be a total waste of time with holders of disabled parking permits being able to park on yellow lines.
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Firstly it is not illegal to park outside anyones house as long as they are not blocking a drive way. Secondly a parking permit scheme would be the best way to combat this type of thing for the residents. There are many areas where people have no choice in parking outside someones house ,although we all know why most people do this and perhaps if parking was once again free, as it should be on an NHS car park, then maybe that would also sort the problem out. Greed once again rules with there parking charges!!
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Can’t a large parking area be found within less than a mile from the hospital and a continuous 24/7 shuttle buses be provided the same as is done at large airports?
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If the outrageous and greedy charges for parking on the official hospital car parks were abolished then the situation would most likely improve. WE paid for the hospital(including the car parks)from our national insurance, so why the heck should we have to pay to park there???
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Why are there not enough parking spaces in the first place?
Has it got anything to do with council/EEC planning restrictions by any chance ?
A site with not enough parking for staff who often work “odd” hours is bound to cause a problem.
As usual it’s the people of Pensett that suffer as hospital staff (with no real alternative) , end up parking in the streets.
Though there is no excuse for blocking drives and pavements.
For the record, my wife works at Russells Hall.
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There are plenty of car parking spaces, they’ve just built a multi-storey car park
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I work at Russells Hall Hospital and object to having to pay to park my car to come to work. However I do if I absolutely have to. Why should I not park on the road, as long as I don’t block a driveway. Doesn’t the tax disc I display give me this right? And those residents that complain – let’s hope you never need the services of the hospital because the day may come when there’s no staff here to treat you because they couldn’t get in to work because they couldn’t park their car!
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In principal you are correct. You pay your car tax and can park your car on any public road as long as there are no restrictions in place. Its ok also as long as the houses have drives and off road parking for themselves. The problem occurs when they dont have this and have to park outside their own houses. Is it fair they can’t do this? When theres a car park over the road at the hospital. Most people park like this because they dont want to ,or can’t afford to pay for parking. Parking should be free..Especially for staff like yourself.
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When you say ‘why should I not park on the road’ what about those who don’t have a drive, I myself have left the house for 15 minutes and have to park on the road outside my house gone to come back and are unable to park anywhere near my house, now how is that fair to me? So maybe residents wouldn’t complain if they could get to park by their house, and I know residents who do get their drive blocked or even block smaller roads and the community police officers have had to be called out because of this.
I understand you need parking, but I know places that also have to pay for parking it’s on a monthly basis but they still have to pay.
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There are nowhere near enough spaces to park for the staff, my friends mom works at russells hall and only half the staff have the permits to park on the car park they have built so where are the likes of my friend’s mom supposed to park?
Although i dont agree with blocking peoples drives and pavements the residents arent all as innocent as they seem. Another lady i know who is a nurse there has had paint stripper poured over her car twice now.
Another car park with a shuttle bus like they had before this was built would be an ideal solution!
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Build a bigger car park. It’s not rocket science.
People outside of London have to use cars because there is NO alternatives. When will the MP’s finally get this into there empty skulls.
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Providing is not parked illegally or causing an obstruction, why shouldn’t they park in a side road? They are public roads and the people who park their pay the same road tax as everybody else.
If you are going to blame somebody, blame the hospital bosses for the penny-pinching parking charges. Is it reasonable to expect somebody to pay £3.50 every day?
Nobody visits a hospital for the fun of it. Some of these people need to show a little more tolerance and charity towards people who are acting perfectly within the law.
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The issue is where these numptys park, they have absolutely no consideration whatsoever for the environment around them. I live in one of the streets near the hospital, and the parking somedays is horrendous.
Cars park opposite each other making passing them difficult for cars let alone anything bigger
What would happen is a fire engine or ambulance were needed. Would someone have to die before any action is taken?
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