'Parking at Royal Preston Hospital needs to be sorted out properly' - Readers react to car parking problems at Chorley and Preston hospitals

Hundreds of patients have contacted Lancashire Teaching Hospitals about problems with controversial new car parking machines at Preston and Chorley hospitals.
The car park at Royal Preston HospitalThe car park at Royal Preston Hospital
The car park at Royal Preston Hospital

A new automatic number plate recognition system was put in place at both sites late last year, replacing the old paper tickets issued at the barriers.

But the Post has reported on a string of issues with the system since then, with lengthy queues at faulty pay stations and confusion over signage among the teething problems.

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New figures show in just the first six weeks of the new system, more than 800 people contacted the hospitals to raise issues over the set-up.

One of the signs at the car parkOne of the signs at the car park
One of the signs at the car park

We asked for your views of the new system....and here are a selection.

I‘ve been visiting my grandad nearly every day for weeks. The fees are ridiculous but a few times now I've been to pay and it says I have been in since the day before and it’s not taken my car off the system. I have to save all my receipts then go to the general office to have it cleared which is all right until your visiting at night and it’s shut

Louisa Chapman

I was dropped off and picked up from Chorley over the weekend I still got charged for parking so obviously the system still isn’t right

Emma Walker

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It’s become a big joke, absolutely shocking. Lancashire teaching hospital management should be made to answer to this problem bet they have nice offices to work in paid by Us disgraceful...

Jackie Fazackerly

It’s disgusting what’s happening but it’s not just patients being fined, staff who buy permits are being fined too because it’s taking up to three working days for your details to be uploaded to the system after buying a permit so if you park before your details are uploaded you get a fine. .

Emma O’Neill

When the machine are broken my husband got told that he should have rung them to let them know and wait for an engineer to come and fix it. I would also recommend people take their tickets with them once paid as it seems if you leave it there without collecting in you all of a sudden get a ticket through the post. . They need to be taken out of the hospitals

Nicola Telford

Cost me a fortune parking every day for a month, but on the other hand, my son who doesn’t drive, paid over£10 a time, on the bus !

Margaret Brown

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Some of the hospital transport volunteers refuse to go because of all the hassle they get needs to be sorted out properly

Ron Umberto

I took a friend to Salford City Hospital were it cost £2 to park for up to six and the first half hour was free. RPH you are a disgrace.

Elaine Green

Many staff permits still haven’t been arranged despite being told that they would be sorted as a priority before the system came into operation Many shift workers are required to park miles away and walk. And many of those who do have permits have received multiple Parking Eye invoices for £70 a go.

Stephanie Horridge-Malloy