Lismore mayor responds to hospital parking uproar

LISMORE mayor Jenny Dowell has responded to locals who are up in arms over the newly introduced paid parking system around Lismore Base Hospital.

The new parking restrictions around the Lismore Base Hospital have not been popular. Hunter Street. Picture: Cathy Adams

LISMORE mayor Jenny Dowell has responded to locals who are up in arms over the newly introduced paid parking system around Lismore Base Hospital.

Hospital staff have been boycotting the immediate areas around the hospital, which are now under a new paid parking system, and instead have been parking in the Orion St and Diadem St areas, to the dismay of some residents.

Both the Lismore Base Hospital Nurses and Midwives Association and the Health Services Union have vowed never to park in council parking areas around the hospital until parking fees are reduced from $5 to $2 per day, and have called for the Lismore City Council parking fee to be reduced to $2 per day for all Lismore Base Hospital staff.

Council meeting

The new paid parking system will be discussed at tonight's council meeting, however Cr Dowell told The Northern Star that some people in attendance may be confused about the specifics of the motion.

"The motion tonight is about how we use the money collected, and I believe there will be people attending the meeting tonight who have not read the business papers and do not understand the motion which is being put forward," she said.

Council will not again be debating the $2-per-day demand from the NSW Nurses and Midwives union.

"I am not in favour of the $2 per day and have voted against it previously," Cr Dowell said.

"We have an agreement with the hospital to meet the cost of the part subsided car park. if parking on the street is much cheaper than the multi story car park then we will never get the stage 2 car park."

Tonight Lismore City councillor Gianpiero Battista will be the third councillor to move a notice of motion to address the mass public outcry against Lismore Base Hospital paid parking strategy.

With the council election coming up in September and the Lismore Base Hospital Nurses and Midwives Association threatening to continue its boycott of council paid on-street parking, tonight's council meeting should attract attention.

Battista's motion states: "Council directs 50% of all fees collected from the Lismore Base Hospital parking strategy into an internally restricted reserve fund until such a time when the borrowing of funds used to implement the strategy have been repaid in full."

Cr Battista said the motion aimed to: "Ensure money collected from the strategy is dedicated to improving parking in the LGA and give back some money to those affected."

Mayor's response

Cr Dowell took to Facebook this morning to share this:

"I have received 10 emails from staff at the hospital objecting to council's parking regime and costs in the health precinct," Cr Dowell wrote on her Facebook page this morning.

"The issue is complex and cannot be easily condensed but here is the response I've sent:

"Dear [Blank]. Thank you for your email re parking around the hospital. I'm sorry you feel your needs are not being met.

"Council and community have found it challenging to manage parking around the hospital for many years especially as the hospital expands.

"Any other new or expanding business must provide on site parking for staff and users of the business or pay significant contributions to council to provide them.

"Unfortunately health is exempt and neither does it make any contribution to council for the provision of infrastructure such as parking, contributions to roads, water or sewer services.

"All these have to be absorbed by council and our ratepayers.

"We are fortunate that lobbying by council secured the multi level carpark. We clearly need stage 2 to be built too.

"Part of the agreement with health was for council to match the part subsidised $7 (now $5) day rate in the multi level carpark. This has provided about 90 carparks in Dalziell St.

"Car parking that is close to the hospital and is time limited with or without costs is provided for visitors and patients not for staff. Although there are no time restrictions or payment required on street after 6pm.

"Council is not in control of how the hospital allocated highly subsidised spaces in the multi level carpark. Personally, I think it was inequitable but that's not something that council can influence.

"Neither can council influence how the hospital manages its own on-site parking.

"Council will review its on street parking strategy within 12 months. That review will involve hospital staff and management, residents and visitors to the hospital and precinct.

"Tonight at council, there is a motion to quarantine part of the fees collected from parking for use to improve parking and to subsidise users. I cannot preempt the council decision.

"Again I thank you for your comments and assure you that council is aware of the needs to balance the interests of all concerned stakeholders."