Barrier problems remain at hospital

January 2002

The barrier system at the public car park at Wexford General Hospital is still unable to take euro coins, four weeks after the new currency was introduced.

It means queues are still forming at the barriers as people try to exit, but Hospital management has again ruled out raising the barriers until the problem is fixed, saying they could not afford to lose the money that parking brings in.

The payment system at the barriers was due to finally be converted from pounds to euros last week, but the company doing so ‘ hit a snag’ and the job could not be completed properly. It means that people who are not carrying ‘old’ pounds and pence coins, which are becoming increasingly scarce, still have to walkback from the barriers to a cash desk in the hospital to have their currency changed - much to the annoyance of others in cars behind them at the exits.

The hospital’s manager, Teresa Hanrahan, said on Monday of this week that it is now hoped the problem will be fixed by Friday.

Asked again if they could not simply raise the barriers to allow traffic to flow freely in the meantime, she replied ‘we simply can’t do that. We would be missing out on important income for the hospital. That’s the stark reality.’

When it was put to her that it was said at the time of its introduction some years ago that pay parking would be for traffic management only, and not for revenue raising, Ms Hanrahan replied ‘I honestly don’t know about that. And if that was said, well, it hasn’t turned out that way.’