Hospital hassles leave visitors parking mad

mobility issues are driven straight to the main entrance and assisted from there,’’ he says.

Caryl Simpson, of Blenheim, says she struggles to find a free disability parking space.

‘‘I am often up there with two elderly parents, often with one in a wheelchair or with a walker, and too often all the mobility parking spaces are taken along with all the rest of the spaces,’’ she says.

In a public poll on social website Neighbourly, 80 per cent of people agreed there were not enough parking spaces with some suggesting a new parking building be built.

Twenty per cent of respondents said parking had never been a problem.

Jill Hyslop, of Blenheim, says money would be better spent on health resources.

‘‘I am sure Wairau Hospital funds would be better value spent on services to the public health than a parking building.

‘‘How lucky people of Blenheim are to have parking a few metres from the front door,’’ she says.

Sinclair says the number of spaces was ‘‘carefully calculated’’.

‘‘We followed council bylaw to assign mobility parks, and calculated the ratio of staff-to-public parks carefully.

‘‘We regularly remind hospital staff not to park in public car parks but this isn’t particularly an issue,’’ she says.

‘‘We appreciate that a visit to hospital can be a stressful time for patients and family and are keen to try and make visiting as easy as possible, including parking provisions.

‘‘If people have complaints, we need them to get in touch with us directly so that the complaint can be logged and formally investigated,’’ he says.

With parking spaces sometimes at a premium at Wairau Hospital people park on the surrounding grass verges.