Pay & Display for Connolly Hospital to go ahead

Nevyn

I can't believe this, people have enough stress when visiting someone who is in hospital with out having to pay to park and all because the current goverment has not givem them enough money to run the place..



http://www.dublin15.ie/pages/CV112/CV112n05.htm

Pay & Display for Connolly Hospital to go ahead

The last issue of Community Voice revealed how Connolly Hospital is proposing to introduce paid car parking in the hospital in an attempt to meet some of its budget shortfall for the current year.“Full up” – the hospital car park soon to be ‘pay & display’

It is anticipated by hospital management that such a proposal could generate up to €500,000 in income for the hospital in a full year. In recent months there has been an accumulation of anecdotal evidence that the hospital’s car park is already being used by local commuters who leave their cars there for the day to take the bus or train into the city.

Visitors to the hospital have been finding it increasingly difficult to find parking while visiting patients despite the extensive car parking available on site.

Community Voice has learned that proposals for the introduction of paid car parking are now well advanced. “We have a project team that have been looking at the proposal and they have now gone to tender for the provision of barrier systems,” said hospital manager, Shay Smith.

“If we are going to introduce this we need to do it properly with proper equipment. We will be introducing some form of pay and display system for visitor parking in the near future.

Zaph

It's not just visitors, it's patients too. I spent 8 months visiting St. Vincents for various check-ups and physio, often several times a week, after an accident two years ago. Parking was €2.40 an hour, and rarely was I in and out within the hour. Cost me a bloody fortune.

Nevyn

Bloody hell can you claim the tax back of it as medical expenses ?

Zaph

Nope. And before I was able to get into the hospital by car, either as a passenger or later driving myself, I needed a wheelchair taxi, which was about €20-25 each way. VHI and work covered everything else so fortunately they were my only real expenses during that period.

CrazyRabbit

Thaedydal wrote: »

Bloody hell can you claim the tax back of it as medical expenses ?

That's a bloody grea idea!

DublinDilbert

That's crazy, its a massive car park and i've never ever seen it full or even half full...

its still a good walk from the village, so i highly doubt more than a few commuters would leave their cars there....

Nevyn

DublinDilbert wrote: »

That's crazy, its a massive car park and i've never ever seen it full or even half full...

its still a good walk from the village, so i highly doubt more than a few commuters would leave their cars there....

It'd not to do with communters it that

Connolly Hospital is proposing to introduce paid car parking in the hospital in an attempt to meet some of its budget shortfall for the current year.

ciaran76

I wonder do the staff at the hospital park there and would they have to pay ?

Its a terrible idea to be honest.

Zaph

They introduced it in Vincent's a number of years ago because people were parking in the hospital and getting the DART from Sydney Parade into town. Charging as a deterrant for that is fair enough. However, they built a big new car park a few years ago and it's operated by an outside firm, so it's now a commercial enterprise, and presumably the hospital takes a cut. I assume Connolly will do the same. There should be some way of validating tickets for people going to out-patients or physio, for example, or people visiting terminally ill patients and who are likely to be there all day so that they don't have to pay. It's bad anough visiting a relative who's dying without having to pay for the privilege.

Bang Bang

Similar thing with Beaumont Hospital a few years back. It used to be £1 per day to park there. Then the car park was handed over to a private company who promptly started charging £1 per HOUR:eek:

BostonB

Disgrace tbh.

Dr Galen

in fairness most of the bigger hospitals all do this. I agree though it doesn't make it right, but seeing as the government isn't going to bailing out any hospitals in the forseeable future every penny counts.

in the hospital where i work, we do have a system for relatives who are say, sitting with a dying relative, normally the security lads do some thing with the ticket when asked to and whoosh the charges are waived.

Zaph

Mystik Monkey wrote: »

in the hospital where i work, we do have a system for relatives who are say, sitting with a dying relative, normally the security lads do some thing with the ticket when asked to and whoosh the charges are waived.

That's fair enough, but are people made aware of this fact or do they have to ask for the charges to be waived?

Connolly has a large car park and it's not in a location where people would park there and commute into work, so there's no justification for them charging. It's pure money grabbing because they've seen other hospitals doing it and they thought they'd get in on the act. I don't agree with other hospitals charging either, but I can accept that they need a deterrant to stop commuters or local workers parking in the hospital car park all day for nothing.

PauloMN

Bang Bang wrote: »

Similar thing with Beaumont Hospital a few years back. It used to be £1 per day to park there. Then the car park was handed over to a private company who promptly started charging £1 per HOUR:eek:

Sure Vincents is €2.30 per hour. Scandalous. My father was in there long term and when I'd visit, I'd generally be an hour and a half to two hours. Sometimes I went over the 2, and would have to pay the 3 hours. Weekends, off peak etc. - still the same.

Fair enough charge people that who are going shopping or whatever, but charging visitors - or worse still - patients that amount is just shocking.

The commuter thing is just bull****, they could just clamp cars left there regularily all day, or put some sort of sign-in system in place for patients and visitors.

Mimikyu

This post has been deleted.

Dr Galen

Zaph wrote: »

That's fair enough, but are people made aware of this fact or do they have to ask for the charges to be waived?

Connolly has a large car park and it's not in a location where people would park there and commute into work, so there's no justification for them charging. It's pure money grabbing because they've seen other hospitals doing it and they thought they'd get in on the act. I don't agree with other hospitals charging either, but I can accept that they need a deterrant to stop commuters or local workers parking in the hospital car park all day for nothing.

its something that we'd get sorted out on an individual basis. not exactly hospital policy like. Most of the car parks in the hospitals around dublin are run by private companies, the hospitals geta rental fee kinda thing from them.

Our own place ceratinly can have an issue with commuters and shoppers but I'd agree, I can't see how this could be a major issue with CH. Its a fair old walk up to the village. What bus is it that runs through the hospital? Maybe thats why?

Nevyn

Well they spent 4 million on the new entrance to A&E and the bridge for the new entrance for the hospital so that ambulances can get quicker acess and now it won't be open for use until the m50 interchange upgrade is done and that could take 3 years.

January

Mystik Monkey wrote: »

What bus is it that runs through the hospital? Maybe thats why?

The windy ghost bus that is the 220??? I doubt it. The 38C runs through there also but irregularly. I doubt many commuters would be parking there, walking all the way to the village or Castleknock train station.

BostonB

adrieanne__x wrote: »

The windy ghost bus that is the 220??? I doubt it. The 38C runs through there also but irregularly. I doubt many commuters would be parking there, walking all the way to the village or Castleknock train station.

There are closer places to park thats for sure.

ChewChew

As far as we are aware, staff will also have to pay for parking, but this is not confirmed.

The large carpark at the front is to facilitate most patient/visitor parking. Staff carparks are abused by non staff.

Dont forget, for such a relativley 'small' hopsital, there is just over 1,000 staff members. That carpark at the front of the hospital is far from big enough, considering the hospital is spread out over a total of 8 buildings.

The bridge at the Scotts roundabout is almost ready to operate, but will not be put in place untill 2012.

DublinDilbert

ChewChew wrote: »

As far as we are aware, staff will also have to pay for parking, but this is not confirmed. .

waterville parking might be getting much busier soon....

ChewChew

DublinDilbert wrote: »

waterville parking might be getting much busier soon....

ha, not so sure about that. As I'm sure some actions will be taken to prevent this.But management will have to take into consideration that there are over 1,000 employee's in Connolly and the vast majority of them are not from the area.

DublinDilbert

ChewChew wrote: »

ha, not so sure about that. As I'm sure some actions will be taken to prevent this.But management will have to take into consideration that there are over 1,000 employee's in Connolly and the vast majority of them are not from the area.

You can have my space during the day

ChewChew

DublinDilbert wrote: »

You can have my space during the day

I just might have to take you up on that offer you know!! :rolleyes: and chance you could leave me a sambo for lunch too?? lol