HOSPITAL PARKING
walking time or a 45-minute passenger transport time would qualify. The aim of this was to allocate parking only to those whose journey to work could not be easily undertaken by means other than car travel.
A propriety digital mapping and transport program, (TRACC by Basemap),1
was used as evidence-based
modelling, which allowed the Trust to prove that there were a certain number of people locally who didn’t need to drive to work, and could travel a different way, or park in a different place. The software was used to calculate journey times for every postcode in and around Oxfordshire and the surrounding counties to each of the Trust’s sites; this was undertaken using travel to each site using all modes of public transport in the morning peak. The journey was then reversed to model the travel time home in the evening peak, as well as a walk and cycle times. The matrices of results then allowed intelligence to be gathered on the journey times, to help drive the permit allocation across the board. This allowed the Trust to ‘map’ around 100 million individual journeys to each of the sites – something that would have been impossible to do manually.
A shift in staff travelling Since these alternate routes were highlighted to staff, there has been a shift to staff travelling in a different way, with staff moving to foot, cycle, or public transport as a means to get to work – freeing up car parking spaces used by staff, and making more available to the public, the result being reduced onsite congestion. The Oxford Health NHS Foundation Trust’s travel strategy neatly dovetails with city-wide initiatives, such as minimal charge or free car parking provision at housing developments, and the use of car clubs at workplaces.
Using ‘car clubs’
At the York Teaching Hospital NHS Foundation Trust, a novel approach was undertaken to achieve cost savings, and, by linking this into other measures, such as those used at Oxford, a coherent and deliverable Transport Plan could be achieved. The Trust had previously relied heavily on the ‘grey fleet’ of employees using their own cars for work trips and claiming mileage reimbursement.2
Freight hauliers servicing London are using depots on its outskirts to act as a transfer station from diesel-powered vehicles to ‘ultra-low’ emission vehicles.
Cars available for short trips The Trust worked in partnership with Enterprise Car Club to set up a ‘car club’ which employees use for their business trips. Cars are provided by Enterprise for employees to book for short trips, while vehicles can also be hired by the day for journeys of over 50 miles.
Following major savings from its initial programme, the Trust significantly expanded the hourly vehicle rental ‘car club’ service offered to employees for business trips from 10 to 42 vehicles across six of its sites, and is now achieving savings of over £50,000 per annum. A reduction in staff traffic and car parking has also been achieved, since staff no longer need necessarily own a vehicle to undertake their home visits and business trips; instead they can travel in
using public transport, and then use one of the cars provided by the hospital. The ‘Car Club’ vehicles are also newer, and therefore less polluting, than the older cars that employees tend to own. There is an added health and safety benefit for the Trust and its staff, as the agreement with Enterprise is that its cars are always well-maintained, whereas before, the Trust had little or no control over the condition of personal cars being used for work journeys. The Trust is also now able to confirm that all its business drivers have valid driving licences and business-use insurance.
One of
the upshots of this was that community nurses had to visit the hospital site at the start of the day to pick up supplies, which added to the traffic on site, since they had no option but to drive in, in as they subsequently needed their car during the day to perform their duties. On the days with no home visits, such personnel still had to get to work at the hospital, and would generally use the car, again taking up onsite car parking places.
76 Health Estate Journal October 2019
York Teaching Hospital NHS Foundation Trust worked in partnership with Enterprise Car Club to set up a ‘car club’ which employees use for their business trips.
A ‘partnership approach’ Enterprise provided the cars under a partnership approach that included sign- up sessions where the technology was demonstrated to staff, and questions answered, and the sign-up process managed. Contact details and licence information are collected within 48 hours of a Car Club membership being created. Enterprise also undertook driving licence checks which adhered with the compliance of NHS Trusts across the UK. Contactless membership cards are provided to every authorised driver, with employee ID passes, and an ‘app’ that facilitates access to the vehicles. Vehicles are delivered to reserved parking bays, giving employees a safe and secure handover location. Each vehicle is
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