HOSPITAL PARKING THE FACILITY MOST IN NEED OF MANAGEMENT

This article shows how the benefits of good management of car parking facilities in British hospitals are beginning to become evident. It took a long time to overcome initial hostility to the idea of charges in hospital car parks, but it is now accepted that the charges bring greater security, uncluttered access roads, and reduced crime. The need to generate extra income from charges, to supplement limited medical funds, is also recognised. Most hospital sites, especially when old, have severe parking problems. In their first attempts to solve parking problems, hospitals placed a few Pay & Display machines in their visitors' car parks, and collected revenue two or three times a week. Universal Parking Management has developed much expertise in enforcing such payments and ensuring that vehicles are parked correctly. Its escalating enforcement programme is effective but not draconian. The Progressive Enforcement Ticketing System is more sophisticated, and identifies persistent offenders among hospital staff. Where there are clearly defined car parks, barrier systems are always more cost-effective. A fully automatic Pay-on-Foot system is the 'ideal' solution for collecting parking revenue. Private finance-build-operate schemes for car parks, with lease-back arrangements, have begun to be used.