Parking at these hospitals remains free – for now at least, as some are forced to examine upgrades
As a resolution is yet to be reached on a new carpark at one major hospital, we examine which hospitals have free parking, where that will change and how much it costs at some sites.
Redlands Coast
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Federal MP Andrew Laming has offered to fully fund a 550-lot carpark, including paying for the land, if it was to be built opposite Redland Hospital.
Mr Laming was responding to news last week that national property group Sentinel had developed plans for a $7.2 million car park on a site it owns in Weippin St, Cleveland.
His offer would mean carparking would remain free at Redland Hospital for patients, visitors and staff.
It is currently one of only six Greater Brisbane hospitals to provide free parking, with all the major sites only offering multistorey options for a fee.
Free 24/7 parking is available at Caboolture, Beaudesert and Logan hospitals, along with the Queen Elizabeth II Jubilee Hospital at Coopers Plains.
It is now also free at Redcliffe Hospital, but plans are under way for construction of a multistorey car park on that site, likely to be operational by 2020. Once open, the park will cater for 1100 cars and fees will be introduced. Drop-off and pick-up zones will continue to be free.
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A Redlands Community News survey, which included The Prince Charles, Royal Brisbane and Women’s, Princess Alexandra, Queensland Children’s and Ipswich hospitals revealed a wide range in fees, charged by mostly private parking operators.
Ipswich was the cheapest, ranging from $3 an hour to a daily maximum of $21.
The rest had fees from $4 to $8 per half hour and between $22 and $39 for 24 hours.
Three and five-day packages were available at the PA ($57 and $95) and the Children’s Hospital ($72 and $110), offering unlimited entry and exit.
Some hospitals also provided concessional parking, upon application, for eligible patients, carers and families.
Mr Laming said the Federal Government would be part of a “carparking solution” at Redland Hospital.
“All staff, patient and visitor parking would be free and secured,” he said.
“If the State Government passes up that offer, I will be disappointed if they charge staff when they had the option not to.”
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While Mr Laming said the cheaper, ground-level option had advantages to the multistorey plans currently being discussed for the existing hospital grounds, he said the site across the road did face some remaining environmental hurdles.
He believed that a small number of koala food trees were located on the Sentinel land, although it appeared that they were not part of the local wildlife corridor.
“Either way, I remain committed to half of the multistorey option, which is just over $10 million according to every commercial estimate available,” Mr Laming said.
A solution to fix the overcrowded Redland Hospital carpark has been at a standstill for some time, as politicians at various levels of government have argued over the specifications and the cost – which has ranged from $15 million to $36 million.
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