Paid parking will be introduced around Lismore’s hospital precinct from July 4 to coincide with the opening of a new multi-story carpark.
Signs and parking meters are being installed along with further roadworks as part of the Lismore Base Hospital car parking strategy.
Lismore City Council’s development and compliance manager Peter Jeuken said there would be an education period during which council rangers would have the discretion not to issue fines once paid parking began.
But he warned residents and visitors to heed the signs as the area would be policed to ensure there was parking turnover.
Tne council has timed the works to coincide with the completion of the hospital’s new multi-storey carpark, due to open soon, ensuring cost parity between the carpark and surrounding streets. This strategy was developed in partnership with NSW Health.
‘We developed the strategy to ensure people would use both the carpark and the surrounding streets without discriminating between the two,’ Council’s Manager Development & Compliance Peter Jeuken said.
‘The second stage of the carpark is not yet funded and we need to ensure good utilisation of the new carpark in order for stage two to come to fruition.”
Mr Jeuken said the formalised parking around the hospital was designed to ease congestion for local residents.
‘We have launched a Resident Parking Scheme so residents who live in time-restricted parking areas can get resident parking permits,’ Mr Jeuken said.
‘We have already processed many applications and invite residents who haven’t done so yet to apply. Anyone with concerns or queries about the new system is also welcome to contact us and we will try to resolve any issues.”
Roadworks have been completed in Dalziell and Dibbs streets to formalise parking and work is currently taking place in Hunter Street before final roadworks in Laurel Avenue.
These improvement works are taking place prior to signage and parking meters being installed.
He said the paid parking changes for the Lismore Base Hospital Car Parking Strategy will officially commence on 4 July.
‘The council will erect permanent information boards on parking options at main entries to the Lismore Base Hospital parking precinct.
‘Residents and hospital visitors are urged to follow all signage and time restrictions to avoid fines.’
So what’s the story on the multi-storey car park?
When the sick and the ill and the injured have parked their butt on a seat in the waiting room waiting for the end of the line, their car is parked on a floor of a multi-layer monolith of concrete waiting with the engine not to be idle. That is just the start. The meter is ticking the time away and adding up the cost to be added on to the bill.
Oh my, it’s costly to be ill. We are not at school as we are too old for that, but, we the public must go through an educational period to be educated about where to park the car. Is there any study briefs and brochures so we have to pay more money while we are ill? Talk about blood pressure, the pressure is trying to get blood from a stone while I take this here little pink pill. But … that is another story while I am trying to remember the colour that I could see of the carpark level while the letter was a “B”.