WHAT a nightmare! I had an appointment at York Hospital. I entered the new car park, took my ticket and parked on the top storey.

My appointment took longer than I anticipated and when I returned to the car park, there was a queue of people down almost to the pavement waiting to pay for their parking time.

By the time I reached the desk, my car had been parked for one hour and 20 minutes. The cost was £3.40. I queried that amount because the publicity gave the impression that if parking went over an hour, you paid £1. 70, but then you paid pro rata for anything over that – for the time you actually parked.

In fact, if you are quite near your hour and it goes over, even by a couple of minutes, you are charged the next £1.70. I got my car then crept the exit route.

Twenty-five minutes later I emerged on to the main route out of the hospital grounds, but not without being challenged by the man on the exit barrier as to whether I had paid. I don’t think I have ever seen such shambolic disorganisation. Janet S Kitchen-Cooper, Ashley Park Road, York.


• I HAD cause to use the new car park at York Hospital last week. I found out we still have to pay for a full second hour if we go even ten minutes over the first one.

Having put all the technology in to the paystation, you would have thought they could have made it possible just to pay for the time there – as they do at St James’s in Leeds.

Job Downing, Main Street, Thorganby.