Residents furious as no-parking signs near hospital are stolen (From Gazette)
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Residents furious as no-parking signs near Colchester Hospital are stolen
9:00am Wednesday 18th August 2010 in News
Councillor Martin Goss with one of the few remaining signs
ANGRY residents have hit out at thieves for stealing no-parking signs from congested roads near Colchester General Hospital.
People living near the Turner Road hospital are unhappy their streets, including Wryneck Close and Hollymead Close, get clogged with cars belonging to patients and staff.
Martin Goss, parish and borough councillor, said residents had been at loggerheads with hospital visitors who park in the roads.
Colchester Hospital University NHS Trust announced last month it wanted to use land next to Mill Road for a new staff car park with room for more than 60 cars.
Mr Goss said it would be a drop in the ocean when staff transferred to the site from Essex County Hospital.
He said the main problem was with patients and visitors parking in residential streets to avoid paying to park at the hospital.
He said the best way to keep cars out of the surrounding roads would be to introduce yellow lines.
Mr Goss said: “The parish put four signs up at a cost of £300.
“They were very successful at reducing parking in the roads off Turner Road.
“But someone, over the past few weeks, has been going round and taking them.
“They are there to help the residents who are putting up with parking.
“There is definitely some foul play at work here and whoever is taking the signs should grow up.”
Comments(16)
RitchieHicks
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10:14am Wed 18 Aug 10
Sdapeze
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11:09am Wed 18 Aug 10
Shadow Demon
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11:29am Wed 18 Aug 10
Sdapeze wrote:Surely the bottom line is that if the hospital car park was more reasonably priced people would not be looking to park elsewhere. I've never understood what makes people thingk that they own the road outside their property. Maybe the residents should be asking why Mr Goss and co wasted £300 on non enforceable signs rather than getting upset about legally parked vehicles in their street.
Quite funny really! The bottom line is that car drivers couldn't care less, as long as they get what they want. To hell with everybody else.
Red Tape
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12:01pm Wed 18 Aug 10
Shadow Demon wrote:Totally agree - and if the cars are parked safely, legally and not blocking their driveways why should they object? Are they somehow more privilaged than the rest of us who have no choice than to allow other people's cars to park outside our homes?
Sdapeze wrote: Quite funny really! The bottom line is that car drivers couldn't care less, as long as they get what they want. To hell with everybody else.Surely the bottom line is that if the hospital car park was more reasonably priced people would not be looking to park elsewhere. I've never understood what makes people thingk that they own the road outside their property. Maybe the residents should be asking why Mr Goss and co wasted £300 on non enforceable signs rather than getting upset about legally parked vehicles in their street.
My in-laws used to live near the football ground at Layer Road and the whole area was a massive car park on match days with traffic everywhere around the start and end of the match. This was far worse than the inconvenience caused by a few people visiting sick friends and relatives in hospital and not wanting to get ripped-off to the tune of £1.80 an hour for the privilage of doing so!
I'm sick of being ripped-off by parking charges all the time and have no sympathy whatsoever that their unenforceable no-parking signs got pinched.
RitchieHicks
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12:11pm Wed 18 Aug 10
Red Tape
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12:17pm Wed 18 Aug 10
Sdapeze
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12:32pm Wed 18 Aug 10
Red Tape
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12:42pm Wed 18 Aug 10
When you visit someone who is in hospital you just want to get there and see them - not have to plan a military operation to get there and back!
RitchieHicks
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1:12pm Wed 18 Aug 10
Boris
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1:58pm Wed 18 Aug 10
People living up there are very lucky to be so close to the general hospital. Not far to go if they need to go to A&E or to visit a patient.
The Mile End councillors wasted £300 on those Mickey Mouse signs. If they don't like us parking there, the residents should pay for a residents-only parking scheme, like the rest of us do.
By the way, residents-only parking schemes were a Lib Dem invention and they gained a lot of electoral support by introducing them.
So get off the pot, Mr Goss, do your duty as a councillor, and it may even benefit you next time you are up for election.
snoswad
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5:35pm Wed 18 Aug 10
planers i sh*t em.
totallyfootball
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5:53pm Wed 18 Aug 10
RitchieHicks
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10:04am Thu 19 Aug 10
totallyfootball wrote:I wish them the best of luck - I just hope they've got a permit otherwise it'll be a nice little fine for them.
The comments are clearly not from people that this issue does not effect, perhaps they should come and park outside your house and see if your views remain the same. The issue is not the cost of parking its the lack of spaces. At certain times of the day Turner Road is gridlocked due to the cars queueing to get a space and waiting for a car to leave the car park. If the hospital utilized the wasted land then the issue would resolve itself. Or put to good use the severalls site and remove the problem completely!
corporate
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4:53pm Thu 19 Aug 10
Boris
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1:35am Fri 20 Aug 10
Shadow Demon says...
9:16am Wed 18 Aug 10