‘Unfair’ hospital parking fines to end – Telegraph

[Legal Beagles]

Parking firms are to be prevented from imposing huge fines on seriously ill patients who park outside hospitals, the health secretary will announce today.Jeremy Hunt will say that operators will no longer be allowed to impose huge fines on sick people or their families, and must instead offer them free or cut-price parking.In recent years, […]

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[Kati]

Re: ‘Unfair’ hospital parking fines to end – Telegraph

Parking charges guidance for the NHS: https://www.gov.uk/government/public...ing-principles

and a BBC report: http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-28905695

It would be great if this did happen!! Too many people are charged too much for parking now :tinysmile_hmm_t2:

[Amethyst]

Re: ‘Unfair’ hospital parking fines to end – Telegraph

''

• Trusts should consider installing ‘pay on exit’ or similar schemes so that drivers pay only for the time that they have used. Fines should only be imposed where reasonable⁴ and should be waived when overstaying is beyond the driver’s control (eg when treatment takes longer than planned, or when staff are required to work beyond their scheduled shift).
  
  
  I think they should remove the word 'consider' and just make them do it, would be so much fairer and easier on people. It's very distracting when you can only pay an hour at a time having to keep an eye on the time to go top up the meter when you're meant to be visiting someone, or giving birth etc. Plus if you are in hosp legitimately you should just get a pass to get out the car park so charges are only imposed on ''commuters''
  

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‘Reasonable’ fining practice might include fines for people who do not have legitimate reasons for parking (eg commuters), or who persistently flout parking regulations (eg blocking entrances). A period of grace should normally be applied before a fine is issued. ↩

[Kati]

Re: ‘Unfair’ hospital parking fines to end – Telegraph

‘Reasonable’ fining practice might include fines for people who do not have legitimate reasons for parking (eg commuters), or who persistently flout parking regulations (eg blocking entrances). A period of grace should normally be applied before a fine is issued.

I live quite close to a hospital here and people park on my street instead of paying the monstrous parking charges for the car park :tinysmile_hmm_t2:. If the charges were less, then we'd actually have a street back (instead of the impromptu car park it is now)

[righty]

Re: ‘Unfair’ hospital parking fines to end – Telegraph

Great but some trusts have actually 'sold' their car parks to the enforcement companies. This way they hope to avoid liability for the actions of the parking sharks. It also avoids arguments, often raised in court, that the sharks have no right to penalize anyone as its not their property

[Johnboy007]

Re: ‘Unfair’ hospital parking fines to end – Telegraph

I know of cases where people have had to be rushed to A&E by car, only for it to be ticketed because the driver never got a parking ticket from the machine that was a bloody long way off.
£4.00 an hour parking fees, and waiting times in A&E in excess of three hours, nearer six or more if you need to have an x-ray or similar treatment.