In and out in five minutes? You must be joking

I HAVE long thought the P5 — fiveminute parking — outside Dunedin Hospital to be ludicrous and impractical, and while collecting my husband from the hospital’s Great King St entrance, we witnessed a situation which confirmed this view.

We were about to drive away when a woman emerged from the car in front, struggled to extract her elderly, disabled passenger and put him into a wheelchair to convey him inside.

My husband and another person went to assist her and their combined efforts finally achieved the desired outcome. The whole process took a good deal longer than five minutes.

Within the space of five minutes a driver is expected to park the car, collect a wheelchair, get the injured or disabled passenger out of the car and into the wheelchair, take him/her inside the building and leave them somewhere safe or supervised, return to the car, drive somewhere else to park it and (eventually) get back to the hospital and the patient. Really?

I challenge anyone from the Dunedin City Council or hospital management, or whoever is responsible for this ridiculous situation, to do all of the above in five minutes.

Eva Hammond

Waikouaiti

Petrol stations

JOBS create income, personal dignity and the welfare of the community.

People who have the selfrespect and security of employment are less likely to commit crimes and fill our prisons.

I notice our local service stations have changed to automated, selfservice petrol pumps. The oil companies are doing this to cut labour costs, which will create more unemployment.

There are still stations that give personal service.

I urge you to avoid supporting automatic fuel stations and use service stations that still provide service.

Marvin Hubbard

Normanby ...................................

BIBLE READING: You will keep your friends if you forgive them. — Proverbs 17:89.