9:42am Friday 12th March 2010
By Nicola Fifield
PARKING attendants at York Hospital have been ordered to help ease chronic congestion during work on the site's new multi-storey car park – by repeatedly pressing a pedestrian crossing button.
Kenneth Martindale, 64, said he had been told to stand at the pelican crossing in Wigginton Road and activate the signal to stop traffic, thereby allowing vehicles to leave the site.
He described the situation as “absolute chaos”, with some motorists waiting up to 90 minutes to exit the car park and force their way on to Wigginton Road.
A hospital spokeswoman said waits were not that long, but admitted they had been using the crossing signal to ease the situation at peak hours as a “short-term measure”.
She said although the disruption started last November when work on the hospital’s new car park began, the recent closure of Gillygate had made the problem worse.
She said it had caused serious congestion in Wigginton Road during peak times, meaning there were fewer opportunities for vehicles to enter or leave the hospital site.
“We’ve been working hard to manage the traffic flow on our site,” she said.
“However, our staff are limited as to what they can do as far as traffic on the public highway is concerned.
“On occasion at the peak times, and when there has been a need for vehicles to get off the site quickly, the pedestrian crossing has been used to stop the traffic.
“This would only ever be used when the situation was urgent, and it is clearly a short-term measure.”
She said although the disruption started last November when work on the hospital’s new car park began, the recent closure of Gillygate had made the problem worse.
She said it had caused serious congestion in Wigginton Road during peak times, meaning there were fewer opportunities for vehicles to enter or leave the hospital site.
“We’ve been working hard to manage the traffic flow on our site,” she said. “However, our staff are limited as to what they can do as far as traffic on the public highway is concerned.
“On occasion at the peak times, and when there has been a need for vehicles to get off the site quickly, the pedestrian crossing has been used to stop the traffic.
“This would only ever be used when the situation was urgent, and it is clearly a short-term measure.”
She said the problem had not led to any ambulances being prevented from accessing the hospital’s emergency department, and said prioritising ambulances may have added to the delay for other vehicles.
The hospital is working with City of York Council and local police to try to ease the problem.
The spokeswoman said they were not aware of motorists queuing for more than 40 minutes to leave the hospital, and the difficulties were only between about 3pm and 5.15pm.
She said: “This is probably due to a combination of factors, including schools finishing, people leaving work, visiting time at the hospital and our own staff leaving the site.”
A council spokeswoman said “misuse” of the pedestrian crossing button was not illegal, but said: “We wouldn’t condone anyone doing it for any other reason than for wanting to cross the road.
“If we heard of anyone doing this for any other purpose than to cross the road we would report it to the police, because if motorists realised the crossing was being used in this way, they might start to ignore the lights and that would create safety issues.”
The 420-space multi-storey car park is due to be completed by spring 2011.
VISITORS to York Hospital have spoken of two-hour waits due to the traffic problems.
The Press went to the car park this week during afternoon visiting hours to speak to car park users about the gridlock. One couple, Mr and Mrs James, had come to visit their child who is in the baby unit.
Mrs James said: “My friend has just told me her boyfriend recently dropped her off in the car park at 4.20pm and he texted her at 6.20pm to say he was still in the car park.”
Julie Quick from Malton said: “I think they are doing a good job compared with how it was when they first closed Gillygate.
“The first time was absolutely horrendous. There was no management at all. I was in here the first time for an hour and still didn’t manage to find a space.”
The Press tried the car park for itself, arriving at 3.10pm to meet a small queue on Wigginton Road.
After ten minutes, our reporter was at the barrier to the car park. Without parking, he made his way to the exit, finally emerging back on to Wigginton Road 30 minutes after leaving it.
• If possible avoid driving on to the site and be dropped off nearby to walk in.
• If people have a choice about when to visit choose the later visiting period, from 6.30pm to 8pm, because by this time congestion has eased.
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