Last September I blogged about parking problems around the Royal Berks Hospital on London Road.
Residents living in streets around the edge of the Hospital struggle to park in their own road - this is because there are simply not enough parking spaces at the Hospital to accomodate staff and visitors
Roads such as Addington Road bear the brunt of overspill paring connected to the RBH.
The local parking situation is bad enough for residents in the area as it is with the University nearby and the fact that Redlands is very close to Town so is popular with shoppers and commuters looking for 'free' parking.
I am aware that Hospital parking problems were raised as an issue yet again at the last meeting of the Redlands Neighbourhood Action Group - a group that was set up to tackle crime problems! This give you an idea of the frustration felt by local residents.
And today the issue has flared up in the local press again with patients complaining there are not enough parking spaces at the Hospital.
We sympathise with them. But a better balance must be struck between the needs of the local communty and the needs of the Hospital visitors, patients and staff.
Also, any solution should seek to address parking problems in the immediate area - not just individual streets.
The Labour-run Council's piecemeal approach to dealing with parking problems street by street just displaces cars from one street to another.
We have had individual successes - such as Glenn's win for residents struggling to park in in New Road, but as councillors we are campaigning for area-based, holistic solution to the problems we face.
And, as we have said many times this is not a problem the Hospital can solve alone.
The Council needs to be proactive in helping the Hospital finding a solution. Hospital managers are not experts on highways matters - they are in the business of running hospital.
We have made this point loud and clear to both sides at regular intervals (in meetings we have held) and it is clear that residents and patients are losing patience.
We called for the Redlands Road area to be included in the Council's A327 Corridor Study which is looking at ways to reduce traffic and improve congestion in and around Shinfield Road - Christchurch Road.
We have been disappointed that RBC officers have not brought forward proposals to include this bit of Redlands Road.
Last September the RBH took the decision to scrap it's park and ride bus service for staff.
While we understood that the continuation of this scheme was not financially viable for the Hospital, we were concerned about the impact this decision would have on local roads and residents.
I wrote to the Chief Operating Officer of the RBC, Patrick Johnson, at that time to try oulining the problems residents were facing calling for the Hospital to work with the Council towards a solution.
Sadly we are no further forward. Paul Birtwistle, Director of Estates and Facilities at the RBH is quoted in today's Get Reading article saying:
"We are just completing a major review of parking which has included staff re-applying for on-site permits. This will help us in better day-to-day management of our existing parking capacity.
“However, we are also examining a range of other options. These include renting additional car park spaces close to the hospital, promoting car sharing and other alternative ways of travelling to the hospital.
“The creation of additional spaces on the existing South Wing car park and providing parking at the rear of some of our properties in Craven Road are still options.”
It's good news that the RBH is at long last engaging with the need to tackle this problem. They have made positive noises before however so we need to get some momentum behind this latest review.
We must be realistic - in the current financial climate it will be difficult for the NHS to find cash for parking schemes. Reducing car trips to the Hospital makes financial and environmental sense.
However, there will aways be visitors to the Hospital who cannot avoid getting there by car.
I will be writing to him and the heads of planning and transport at Reading Borough Council to request that proposals be drawn up as soon as possible to address the obvious shortfall in parking spaces at the Hospital, and to give patients and residents some relief.
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