Residents in Western NSW are not convinced the additional 380 car parks planned for the refurbished Dubbo Hospital will be enough to solve a parking shortage.
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The Daily Liberal reported on Thursday that a row was brewing over car parking at the hospital where another 100 car spaces will be built in its $150 million stage three and four redevelopment.
An online poll revealed 91.92 per cent of 334 respondents do not feel it is an adequate increase, many taking to the Liberal’s Facebook page to voice their dismay.
Several readers suggested a multi-storey car park, an idea a spokesperson for Health Infrastructure says would be funding better spent elsewhere.
“A bigger and better health service will increase patient numbers, visitor numbers and staffing numbers therefore a much larger parking area needs to be allocated in the funding for the new development!” JenandNick Handley wrote.
“The 280 extra spaces would be adequate for the previous hospital before the redevelopment commenced - not for the new bigger and better infrastructure project they are promising!”
The Health Infrastructure spokesperson said the traffic and parking assessment determined that a single-level car park would be sufficient to support the future requirements for the hospital.
“Investment in a single level car park also means more of the $150 million committed by NSW Government for the redevelopment can be used to deliver much-needed clinical services for the community,” the spokesperson said.
“It's also important to note that the all multi-storey car parks being built in metropolitan hospitals require users to pay for parking to help fund the ongoing maintenance, security and management of the car park by the health service, to enable the Government to allocate the funding where it’s most needed – to patient care.”