“They shouldn't have run Princess Royal into the ground so they could close it forcing people from the east of the city to travel to HRI and Castlehill when the services already existed on a perfectly situated site with ample parking. Sadly the former hospital is in limbo awaiting it's demolition planned by the big suits that know best.”

“I had to laugh at the comment some people are to ill to take public transport so they have to drive??? Really if you are that ill, you should not be driving in the first place. Giving free parking wont solve the problem, it will be exactly the same, if not worse. It is the same for staff aswell as patients, frustrating for both us. As Red Dog says above, its our health that matters not parking spaces, they have got plans to create more so watch this space. I say, take a bus, bike or taxi lol”

“If you have to go to hospital for a one off screening like X Rays or Bowel screening like i had to, I think you should look at the taxi option, I had to go to Beverley Westwood Hospital for an interview about the next step concerning my health, I did not want any stress about parking or taking a bus, So i got a taxi £15, Which did not phase me because it was my health that mattered,Four weeks later i had to go to Castle Hill Hospital for a Cancer screening, I got a taxi again £7, I left feeling calm and in a good mood, While i was there i noticed some people in stressed out states shouting that they could not find a parking space,And please no replies saying 'I cannot afford that', Its our health we are talking about.”

“Well done Colin, you have finally got someone to agree with you.”

“Many visits to hospital have to be made by car by people often too ill or infirm to use public transport. The alternative to relatives or friends taking them is to use the Patient Transport Service which obviously costs the NHS money and frankly is not very user friendly unless people are able to both wait and sit on a bus for a long time.

Once at the hospitals, even if you can find a space, its often still a long walk to your destination and again with infirm or elderly patients that is difficult. A drop-off point will be ok for some but still means abandoning your relative whilst the vehicle is moved to a more permanent space which is often distressing for them.

Given that private vehicles are probably always going to be used to transport quite ill people, (most people, for example, will not be prepared to wait more than two hours for an ambulance if their relative is in pain) then the reliance on large areas of cheap, ill-maintained (certainly at HRI, the problem at CH is more a simple lack of spaces) surface car parking is very short-term thinking.

Take a look at any shopping centre in Hull city centre, analogous to HRI's position, they all have multi-storey parking immediately adjacent to your destination, escalators, travelators and lifts to make it all easier. Spending NHS money on multi-storey car parks might seem wasteful but when the hospitals are so reliant on quite ill people getting themselves to hospital appointments it doesn't seem so unreasonable. It would also release large amounts of land, certainly near HRI, for more productive use. I would much rather pay a parking fee knowing it was contributing to paying for a clean, safe and accessible multi-storey than some pot-hole strewn, graveled piece of waste ground half a mile from the hospital entrance.”

“I have to visit HRI at least twice a month- sometimes more and I do think the parking charges are really high- you end up putting more in the meter than you often need in case your appointment is delayed or they send you for an ECG or x-ray and you have to wait.

Having said that I can always get parked at HRI. Castle Hill is a nightmare- sooo glad I don't have to go there anymore.

I don't think 20 free spaces at the front will help. They'll be taken up immediately by the lazy and ignorant just like at supermarkets unless it's rigorously policed.”

“Kaz, Hull - Walton Street is already used as car park for supporters and has been since the day the KC Stadium opened. D'oh !
Very few supporters use the HRI car park now since they put the prices up to stupid amounts a few years ago.”

“Isn't the problem at HRI that the car park is used by more than hospital visitors/patients/staff? Wha's the problem with Walton Street waste ground being turned into a car park for supporters? It would then be paved and made safer for the Fair and any car boot days.......”

“Surely it can't be that difficult to give, say 2 free permit tickets per patient..”

“Eleanor, what about people who use public transport to visit hospital, should they not pay as well. The trouble is things that are given for free usually end up being abused. How are you going to stop all the fans visting the KC from filling the place up.”