Parking crackdown by council on Reid St, next to Ashford Hospital
The management of Ashford Hospital has asked the local council to patrol nearby street parks to stop patients and visitors taking them.
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Ashford Hospital will be the target of a parking crackdown by West Torrens Council.
The council on Tuesday entered an agreement with Ashford Hospital management to police parking on Reid Ave, next to the hospital.
Parking spaces along the street, off Anzac Highway, belong to the hospital and are predominantly set aside for doctors and disabled parking.
However, the parks are often understood to be taken up by patients and visitors.
Much of the street is covered by permit zones but West Torrens has not previously included it in its parking patrols.
An email from Ashford Hospital support services manager Kate Cocks said the crackdown was needed to “ensure that disabled parking and parking for medical doctors is always available” close to the hospital.
The hospital’s public parking, on Alexander Ave, is operated by Greenco Parking.
Greenco charges $8 for one hour and $30 for a full day.
Councillor Kym McKay said he had “reservations” about the council policing private on-street parking spaces when the hospital’s public parking came at a cost.
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He said Ashford Hospital had taken a “lazy approach” to parking problems.
“The issue I have with Ashford Hospital is having sold off their private carpark a couple of years back, now in the hands of a private operator, they are stuffing prices up so much you can drive through there and there’s about 10 or 15 cars at any one time,” Cr McKay said.
“I think the hospital should be approaching the new owner of that carpark and arrange a better deal so people can actually afford to park in there and encourage them to get off the streets.”
In response to questions about the cost of its provided carpark, Ashford Hospital general manager Paul Evans said he had “no influence on their schedule of charges” because it was privately owned.