Harrogate Hospital visitor 'astonished' by new higher parking charges following new barrier-less system

Ann Berridge said she was not against paying to park at hospital in principle but was "astonished" by the new more expensive rates.

"I attended Harrogate Hospital yesterday to find entering and exit is car recognition and first 20 mins is free and the minimum charge is £4.

"I was astonished and went back to check.

"How can this be fair? I fear many patients who are expecting visitors every day will be left disappointed and lonely."

The rise in parking charges at Harrogate Hospital is part of a switch to a new camera-controlled, fully digital ticketless car parking system introduced by Harrogate and District NHS Foundation Trust last week.

The barrier-less system sees automatic number plate recognition in place to identify cars on entry and exit.

Hospital parking for the general public under the new payment rates is free for the 20 minutes, then £4 for up to two hours, £6.50 for up to four hours, £8.50 for up to six hours and £11 for up to 24 hours.

This compares with the previous parking charges of 30 minutes free parking, followed b y£2.60 for up to 90 minutes, £3.80 for up to two-and-a-half hours, £6.10 for up to four-and-a-half hours and £9.10 for six-and-a-half hours or more.

The changes by Harrogate and District NHS Foundation Trust come amid growing complaints about long queues of traffic at the hospital on Lancaster Park Road, especially during visiting hours.

The Trust believes the funds gathered from parking fees enables it to reinvest in the delivery of patient care and maintaining facilities such as car parks across the Harrogate and District NHS Foundation Trust.

It also argues the new system will help tackle the current traffic problems.

Andy Colwell, Deputy Director of Estates and Facilities at Harrogate Integrated Facilities, a subsidiary company owned by Harrogate and District NHS Foundation Trust who are responsible for car parking at the hospital, said: “By introducing a new barrier less system, we will be able to improve the flow of cars into our car park at busy times, such as visiting hours and reduce the chance of queues of cars forming on Lancaster Park Road.

“The system will help to reduce noise and environmental pollution from cars idling outside the hospital or from the alert noise on the barriers of our current system which could affect local residents.

“For those people who do not want to drive, our hospital is also well serviced with public transport links, so using a bus to visit our hospital is an option, too.”

But patients such as Ann Berridge remain, potentially, out of pocket when visiting relatives at Harrogate Hospital or attending as patients.

"I live in Bramham but Harrogate is my nearest hospital,” she said.

"I don't resent paying to park for my visit but £4 is very excessive for just 25 minutes."

Parking terminals remain available across the hospital and at main reception for those who are eligible for concession or free parking.

To manage the new system and ensure fair and accurate parking, Parkingeye, the market leading operator of ANPR car park management systems, has been brought in to help maintain the rules.