A NEW ‘groundbreaking’ travel centre could be built at Colchester General Hospital to reduce congestion and make visits easier.

Lib Dem councillors met with the hospital trust to discuss congestion, particularly on Turner Road.

Martin Goss, Anne Turrell and David King also raised the issue of limited parking on site and the impact of visitor and staff parking on nearby roads.

Lib Dem leader for Colchester Mr Goss said the good news was the trust is thinking ahead and will be building a new travel centre in the new year.

He said: “The travel centre will be there to help direct patients and staff towards helping with any parking issues, or questions they may have about the Park and Ride buses.

“It’s about making travel and parking as easy as possible, it’s a one stop shop.

“They are trying to make other means of travel more sustainable as if we all used our cars there would never be enough spaces. It’s quite groundbreaking and has worked successfully in Ipswich.

“It really should help, the hospital has had its challenges and we are there to do what they can to work with them locally.”

Mr Goss was at the forefront of a campaign to get Park and Rise stop at the hospital, which proved successful at the start of the year.

He said the trust does care about the pressures traffic and visitors bring to the area. They are investing in new facilities and upgrades to those already at the hospital.

He added the trust’s captial programme means £15million a year will be invested in new and refurbished facilities to prepare for further transfers from Essex County Hospital in Lexden Road.

The hospital has already added 180 spaces to the public car park, and to help with staff parking the trust is introducing a permit system to encourage those who can leave their car at home to do so.

Mr Goss added: “We are encouraged by the attitudes, the new facilities and the investments in the hospital. They are ambitious and determined to do better.

“We will stay on the case and if problems persist we will press the trust for more radical solutions.”

He said the trust is working closely with Ipswich Hospital, which has already adopted the idea of a travel centre, to bring world class services to the town.

It is understood staff already working at the hospital will be brought forward to play a public service role, answering queries and offering advice to patients and visitors at an information desk.

Councillors have agreed to meet again with the hospital trust in the new year to discuss progress and raise any further queries.

A Colchester General Hospital spokesman said: “We are very pleased to be working with all our partners in improving travel, access and parking at Colchester hospital.

“This includes a new facility to provide help and support with all travel queries for staff, patients and visitors.”