Future of hospital parking in council's hands

COUNCILLORS are geared up to determine the future of parking at Lismore Base Hospital with staff in particular to cast a watchful eye over the debate.

Lismore Base Hospital. Picture: Marc Stapelberg

COUNCILLORS are geared up to determine the future of parking at Lismore Base Hospital with staff in particular to cast a watchful eye over the debate.

Hospital staff, patients and residents have enjoyed free parking in recent weeks after a bold move by Lismore City Council to temporarily lift parking fees on some streets to ease tensions about the problematic parking system.

The council employed Bitzos Consulting in April to review the effectiveness of the Lismore Base Hospital Car Parking Strategy, which was rolled out last year.

Since the implementation of paid parking, staff and patients have been pushed into suburban streets vying for a free park much to the frustration of residents.

Councillors will tomorrow assess the first phase of recommendations from the parking review, which was handed down to the council late last month and backed by the council's Traffic Advisory Committee.

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The report proposed parking on Hunter Street, between Laurel Ave to Orion St, convert from two-hour paid parking to 10-hour paid parking with a rate of $2/day consistent with Dalziell Street.

It also canvassed an extended parking limit for northern Uralba St, from Hunter St to Diadem St, and Bent St from two-hour parking to four.

No stopping signs have been recommended between Uralba Street to outside 31 Bent Street.

Fee changes are proposed to be advertised for a 28-day period to enable final implementation of adjusted paid parking in Hunter Street.

The NSW Nurses and Midwives Association will be keeping abreast of how tomorrow's council meeting unfolds.

Lismore branch manager, Gil Wilson said members met informally with Lismore mayor, Issac Smith about two weeks ago about the proposed changes.

"We are taking Isaac in face value now ... we are waiting to see what happens," Mr Wilson said.