1/2/2007

Your Letters

Frimley Park has the solution to parking problem

Nicola Hudson’s article, Residents welcome parking changes, in the Camberley News of January 26 touches upon a very sensitive issue. Parkside residents have, since Frimley Park Hospital imposed parking charges for staff, patients and visitors, suffered a blight of inconsiderate, obstructive and, on occasion, dangerous parking.

There has been no effective response by the police, even on occasions where a disabled person’s drop-kerbs are blocked or vehicles are parked on corners. The residents have continued to suffer.

At long last the county council is proposing action. Currently these proposals will mean single or double yellow lines around Parkside, which will also prohibit residents from parking outside their own properties. Should a residents’ parking scheme be introduced, residents will then have to bear the cost of this.

Residents will continue to suffer — either through the loss of amenity, or financially, as double yellow lines will impact on property prices, or through residents’ parking fees.

I am amazed by the comments of Colin Slatter, chairman of the hospital’s patient and public involvement forum, “that the proposals do not go far enough to tackle the problems that hospital staff will face”. Brilliant. The hospital causes the problem, then overtly commends that patients, staff and visitors park for free in Parkside. Better still, the hospital now complains that, by removing this hospital-generated blight on residents, it will impact unfairly on the hospital.

Mr Slatter, your organisation caused the problem. The very least that it should do to resolve the issue is to provide adequate free on-site parking for its staff and customers.

CD Corstorphine
Parkside
Frimley

First printed in: Aldershot News and Mail