Health bosses have declared war on rogue parkers who are causing chaos at the north’s flagship hospital.
Abandoned vehicles, blocked access roads and abuse of disabled bays will all be targeted in a new crackdown at Raigmore in Inverness.
NHS Highland will dispatch security staff from this morning to monitor visitor parking – and ensure staff do not encroach on patients and disabled sections of the site closer to the hospital.
Special stickers will be slapped on the windows of badly parked cars, warning that their registration plates have been noted and asking the drivers not to make the same mistake again.
Senior managers accept that the 900-space car park is far too small to meet demand – but say expansion is not possible in the health board’s current financial climate.
Crawford Howat, hotel services manager for Raigmore, said the majority of complaints from members of the public were about bad parking.
He added: “The car park at Raigmore is very busy and we recognise that it can be difficult trying to find a space when you are coming in for an appointment or to visit a patient.
“However, what we have noticed, and it has also been highlighted to us by members of the public and staff, is that not everyone is considerate of others when parking on site.
“We know that for some, coming into a hospital environment can be a stressful experience and a busy car park can add to that, but we have examples of cars being blocked in, access roads being blocked and the disabled bays at the front of the car park being used by those who do not have blue badges displayed on their car.”
Yesterday cars could be seen parked on grassy areas off the main car park, abandoned on roads and left in marked no-stopping areas.
Members of the public agreed with NHS Highland’s concerns.
Helen MacRae, 46, had travelled from Breabost near Edinbane in the north of Skye to visit a relative in the hospital.
She said: “It is a problem. It adds to the stress of coming to the hospital if you’re having to drive round and round looking for a space.
“I think the best thing they could do is pay a warden to stop people parking badly.”
Linda Kirkland, interim of director of operations for Raigmore said: “We’re fully aware that having a bigger car park would go a long way to helping us resolve this but it is just not something that we are in a position to do at this current time.
“What we are asking is that everyone takes responsibility for how they use our car park.
“Leave enough time to find a space if you are coming in for an appointment, please don’t block cars in or block any of our access roads and please be considerate of others when driving round and parking on our site.”
NHS Highland used to charge drivers £1 to leave their cars in the hospital’s parking area. However, this was scrapped in 2008 by the Scottish Government.
The site is now split so that patients and visitors park nearer the hospital, while staff are asked to leave their vehicles further away. This is to try to ensure a higher turnover of cars towards the front section of the car park which should increase the chances of spaces becoming available.
Aberdeen Royal Infirmary has also suffered from pressures on its car parking areas, prompting businessman Sir Ian Wood and his wife Lady Helen to pledge £10million to NHS Grampian to pay for a 1,000-space multi-storey car park on the grounds.