Logan Hospital parking fees won’t go up to pay for sinking carpark

Fees at Logan Hospital’s new multistorey carpark will not go up to cover costs of reconstructing the sinking building, in fact they are some of the cheapest in SEQ. COMPARE YOUR HOSPITAL

Parking fees of between $3 and $13 will be introduced in March at one of the southeast’s busiest hospitals.

Logan Hospital’s $61 million multistorey carpark was due to open in September, when visitors were to be charged $3 for the first hour, in a move that sparked community anger.

But the carpark opening was delayed when the building’s foundations were found to be sinking and needed “additional structural work’’.

This week, the hospital said it expected the striking building to open by March and reiterated it would not hit patients, staff or visitors with extra charges to pay for the unexpected additional construction works.

Traffic lights have been installed on Armstrong Rd at the main entrance to Logan Hospital and its new carpark.

“Concessions will be available for people who are experiencing financial hardship, who need to attend hospital frequently, who attend for an extended period of time, or who have special needs and require assistance,” the hospital said.

“It will always be free to drop off and pick up patients from the hospital by using one of the designated drop-off zones.

“The car park will be owned and operated by Logan Hospital, which means every dollar collected from parking fees will come back to the hospital to be used for capital repayments, operations, maintenance and improvements of the car park.”

As part of the works, traffic lights were turned on at the main entrance to the hospital grounds this week, ensuring the safe flow of vehicles along Armstrong Rd and under the nearby rail tunnel.

People parking in the car park will be charged $3 for the first hour with the first 15 minutes free, which adds up to being one of the cheapest hospital parking spots on the southside.

Up to two hours will cost $5, with those parking for between two and three hours slugged $7.

To park for more than three hours in the new carpark but less than four will cost $9 with an $11 fee for four to six hours and then a nightly or day fee of $13 for 24 hours.

The fees are half the price of parking at the Princess Alexandra Hospital where it costs $21 to park for more than two hours but less than seven hours.

Logan Hospital will start charge fees to park in March. Compare your hospital parking fees here.

The free carparking at Logan Hospital will vanish after the opening of the new multistorey car park complete with its prominent mural of a banksia tree.

The fees are in line with those charged at Redcliffe Hospital, where tickets were introduced in August last year when the new multi-level car park opened.

But Logan will be cheaper than at Ipswich Hospital where it costs on average 30 per cent more to park.

Casual parking at Ipswich Hospital is $3 an hour or a maximum of $21 a day and it is $5 a day for those with an Ipswich Hospital Foundation account.

There is an Ipswich City Council “Pay and Display” on-street parking around the hospital and Ipswich Health Plaza at $1.20 an hour.

The most expensive southside hospital to park at is the PA Hospital, where it costs $4.50 for the first 30 minutes and up to $8.50 for an hour.

It costs $12 if you are there for up to 90 minutes and then up to two hours $17.

After two hours, it costs $21 at PA and after seven hours it is $25.

To replace a lost ticket at PA Hospital costs $25.

Parking at Logan Hospital is currently free but fees will be charged when the multistorey car park opens in March.

Parking at Redland Hospital is currently free but when it gets a multistorey car park next year, the fees are expected to be similar to Logan.

The eight-level, 1506-space undercover Logan car park, was due to open before the end of September and once opened, the hospital grounds will have about 2000 spaces in total.

Construction started in 2020 on an undercover walkway link between the car park and the main hospital building, which is now completed.

Staff have been eager for the linked walkway after a trainee nurse was attacked in a nearby car park in 2018 and after a spate of vandalism on cars.

Free parking will be available at the nearby Loganlea train station when the hospital starts charging to park.

Metro South Health said most users of the new car park would pay $5 or less a visit with data showing about three-quarters of patients and visitors only stayed for two hours or less.

But the “relatively cheap” fees still drew criticism with Meadowbrook resident Jason Dodge getting 6697 people to sign a petition against the fee introduction.

It will always be free to drop off and pick up patients in one of the designated drop-off zones.