NEWS NATIONAL
Minister’s orders – stay at home
Radical plans to help solve the country’s congestion problems, ease the strain on parking spaces and lower the UK’s carbon footprint have been suggested by the Under Secretary of State for Transport, Norman Baker. Allowing employees
to work from home on a regular basis, or leaving for work later, would ease many of the problems associated with rush-hour traffic – including keeping the roads moving more freely and spreading the demand for parking across the day. Baker believes traditional travel patterns have to change if the coalition
government is to create the low-carbon economy it promised, and has instructed officials to work out how his ideas can be brought into practice. In an interview with
the Daily Telegraph, Baker said: ‘Part of my brief as a transport minister is to sometimes encourage you not to travel. I want to be the first virtual transport minister. ‘Te kind of initiatives
I’m working on will do away with the rush hour. Reducing demand will reduce congestion, pollution and stress in our daily lives. Working just one day in 10 from home would have a huge impact,’ Baker said. ‘Te results will be
tangible – reduced congestion, reduced carbon emissions, improved quality of life and, if we’re all working from home, we might even start talking to our neighbours again.’ CBI head of
infrastructure, Matthew Farrow, was supportive of the initiative. He said: ‘We agree
there needs to be big changes to the way we work and commute to cut future congestion, particularly on our roads.’ ‘Although it’s
not feasible in all workplaces, employers are increasingly enabling staff to stagger their commutes and break out of the usual ‘nine to five’ routine.’
Trafford General Hospital, Manchester
THROWING DOWN THE GAUNTLET
A Greater Manchester hospital has ‘thrown down the gauntlet to other hospitals after becoming the first NHS hospital in England to scrap car-parking charges for patients and visitors. Trafford General
Hospital said it was responding to criticism from users, who said paying was an ‘unnecessary stress, expense and hassle’. This decision will
cost £280,000 a year in revenue, which the hospital says it will make up in efficiency savings. Staff will continue to
pay, but all visitors will receive free exit passes as they leave the hospital – a measure to prevent abuse of the free parking by people not visiting the hospital. The new regime will
be introduced after improvement work and the installation of new barriers to the car parks is completed. Chief executive of
Rush-hour could become less of a rush under Baker’s plans
Trafford Healthcare NHS Trust Ron Calvert,
HOSPITAL PARKING CHARGES LIKELY TO REMAIN
Health secretary Andrew Lansley is expected to shortly announce that hospital parking charges will remain in place, reported the
6 AUGUST 2010
London Evening Standard. A spokesman for the Department of Health, said: ‘It’s clear that where parking charges are making it difficult
for staff to do their jobs, where they are damaging patients’ access to services or where they are stopping friends and relatives from
visiting, they are too high.’ Ministers are due to publish their response to a consultation on NHS car parking this September.
said: ‘We listen carefully to patients and their visitors and it is clear they find paying for hospital parking an unnecessary stress, expense and hassle. ‘We are making
Trafford General the first acute hospital to offer free parking to patients and visitors and we are leading the way in putting patients’ needs first.’ Paul Mainwaring,
from the Greater Manchester-based Patients’ Council, said: ‘The board should be congratulated. ‘They deserve a pat
on the back for thinking of patients and visitors in these difficult times. ‘It is so important for
patients to be able to have visitors whenever they can. Trafford have thrown down the gauntlet now – I hope we can see other trusts following their lead.’ Parking is free at
hospitals in Scotland. and Wales and at some non-acute outpatient or community hospitals in England.
Newsdesk: 01223 273526
editor@britishparking.co.uk
www.britishparking.co.uk
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