Frankly, I’m shocked to hear today, the BBC report that one English hospital has just announced free Christmas parking, only days after a Brighton hospital essential worker reported paying more than £50 per week.
Yesterday, I parked free at the Golden Jubilee Hospital in Clydebank, never thinking for a minute than anyone paid to park for a hospital visit, these days. The SNP scrapped the charges in 2008. Surely Gordon Brown while PM then would have scrapped them in England too, as he ‘led’ the UK into the 2010 General Election, if he had any gumption, never mind compassion. He didn’t. He was too busy rewarding the bankers for almost destroying everything.
From BBC Scotland in August 2021:
Hospital car parking charges are set to end permanently in Scotland. The Scottish government has struck deals worth £35m to buy out the car parks at Ninewells Hospital in Dundee and Glasgow Royal Infirmary.
Negotiations are also “progressing” to take over the site at the Royal Infirmary of Edinburgh. Charges at the hospitals were initially suspended last March to ensure staff would not have to pay to park while working during the Covid pandemic. Parking fees at the rest of Scotland’s hospitals were scrapped in 2008 [by the SNP Government].
The [SNP] government had pledged to take steps to end hospital parking charges permanently at PFI sites in Scotland during the first 100 days of its new term. Health Secretary Humza Yousaf confirmed the buyout of the Glasgow Royal Infirmary site would cost £26.3m, while the deal at Ninewells was done at £9m.
He said: “We all owe a huge debt of gratitude to our NHS workforce for their heroic efforts throughout the pandemic and this will ensure that, along with patients and visitors using our hospitals, they will not face the prospect of parking charges returning.
“This announcement shows we are determined to ensure car parking charges will not return at any PFI site in Scotland.
When Scots were voting Labour in July 2024, I don’t suppose this was on their mind. They just took it for granted.
Talking-up Scotland 'Albatraz' 
“When Scots were voting Labour in July 2024, I don’t suppose this was on their mind. They just took it for granted.”
Who would have thought Labour would turn out to be worse than the Tories?
Me☝️
😉
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I am in favour of all parking in public spaces, including hospitals, and, indeed in private spaces, such as supermarket car parks having charges. The growth of private car use has contributed to air pollution, noise, congestion and a worsening of the ambience of the public realm. Car parks are, in my view, a waste of space, that could otherwise be used as green space, for housing, for leisure, etc.
When the QEUH was being built plans were made for cheap public transport to and from the hospital from the surrounding areas. There is a case for public transport to be free.
Air pollution and other traffic effects, such as lack of exercise, contribute significantly to levels of poor health in the community. The health service workers should be setting an example for the rest of us of using active travel to and from work. To be fair, many of them as well as ‘talking the talk, do, indeed, walk the walk’.
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You seem to be assuming that most Scots live on a reasonable bus route from their local hospital. That is NOT the case.
While we live a 15 minute drive from our nearest hospital, buses are infrequent and not around the clock. Throughout the evening and night, the only option is a taxi ( unless you are in an ambulance).
In any case, it has not been deemed our local. By default, we are expected to travel 20 miles and across the Clyde to Paisley. Buses are infrequent, uncomfortable and do a circular trip around hospitals making the trip longer in one direction than the other. We are far from being at the edge of the catchment area.
People who need to park at hospitals include staff, in-patients and out-patients, visitors and kindly folk who take those who cannot transport themselves.
That you are discussing supermarket car parks in the same sentence as hospital car parks is rather telling
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Public transport does need improving and the opportunity should be taken with recent legislation of bring bus services under public control and increasing frequencies and routes. Introducing multi-mode ticketing is necessary, with a cap on daily spend as is done in London.
What is ‘telling’ about the my inclusion of all parking whether at hospitals or supermarkets?
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Perhaps nobody goes to a hospital out of choice ?
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When Scots were voting Labour in 2024, they didn’t have a mind. At least, not one that was functioning properly.
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♥️
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