More car parks on the horizon

03/11/2009 | Hospital access improvements

Nine new car parks will be available for Disability Card holders parking at Palmerston North Hospital by early next year, taking the total to 30. The new parks, in car park C in front of the ambulance bay, will be levelled and provided with a ramp allowing wheelchair access to the main hospital entrance, at a cost of $77,000.

Progress in improving access to Palmerston North Hospital is the focus of a report to the Hospital Advisory Committee today. Several initiatives are underway which will result in more car parks for patients and visitors.

Group Manager Commercial Support Services, Jeff Small says: “The car park shuttle which began operating in August is proving very popular with more than 1000 people using it in the first month.” The shuttle vehicle circles public car parks taking patients and visitors to the hospital buildings and returns them to the car parks.

Patient and visitor parking options will increase as the result of the installation of a new paid staff parking area near Gate 12, Ruahine Street, also on the agenda for 2009/10. Staff  have indicated they would be happy to pay for a reserved park and the $75,000 cost of setting up the park for 37 vehicles would be recovered over three years.

MDHB continues to look at better use of the surplus land near Tremaine Avenue, Heretaunga and Ruahine Streets. Although MDHB would not be able to fund it, this is the obvious spot for a car parking building, and there is interest from private developers to take on this venture.

In addition to increasing parking MDHB hopes to gain funding from Land Transport NZ to formulate a Workplace Travel Plan which provides a package of measures to increase the use of public transport, cycles and other modes of sustainable transport by staff, patients and visitors and reduce solo car journeys.