Visitors to Royal Preston and Chorley and South Ribble hospitals will soon notice major improvements to the parking experience.
As well as work currently taking place on road and car re-surfacing at both hospitals, Lancashire Teaching Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust is also installing new ANPR (Automatic Number Plate Recognition) 'pay on foot' systems across both sites.
The ANPR technology which is now familiar in many large car parks, will capture the number plates of all vehicles as they enter and exit the car parks and check that the correct tariffs have been paid for the length of stay.
The new, modernised parking system will replace the current barrier and pre-pay system which has previously caused frustration amongst visitors and staff. It will also mean changes to how people can pay for parking. People will no longer be required to take or insert tickets from barriers to enter and exit the sites and won't need to remember to display a ticket in their vehicle either.
The introduction of a new 'pay on foot' system will allow parkers to pay for the actual time they've parked when leaving the hospitals. In addition, a number of new payment options will be available to visitors, including payment by cash (with change given) or by card. Alternatively, anybody in a rush and unable to pay at the time of leaving can also visit the www.good2go.com website and pay online by midnight the same day.
The new system will be installed during this month and start operating from 21st December 2018.
Paul Havey, Deputy Chief Executive and Finance Director at Lancashire Teaching Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust said: "The introduction of the ANPR technology brings our car park infrastructure and management system up to the standards that many drivers have come to expect from modern-day car parks.
"The new 'pay on foot' approach and additional payment methods makes things far more convenient for visitors.
"Our current barrier and payment system is very dated and more of a hindrance than useful. We have continually received complaints from visitors and staff over the years about delays at the car park barriers when entering and exiting and the knock-on effect this has on the surrounding roads on our sites."
ParkingEye Ltd. has been appointed as the provider of the ANPR technology and enforcement action across the car parks at Lancashire Teaching Hospital NHS Foundation Trust.
Parking charge notice (PCNs) will only be issued to those motorists parked inappropriately or who are in breach of the terms and conditions of the car park, such as non-payment.
The concessionary car parking charge available to people regularly attending any of the Trust's sites or visiting for long periods of time will also be extended to cover a large number of eligible patients and families. The Trust's new Concessions Criteria Guidelines will bring the Trust into line with the NHS Patient, Visitor and Staff car parking principles.
This will mean that some patients and their carers or families who have previously not paid for parking will be required to in future, albeit at a discounted concessionary rate of £2.50 per day. A large number of others who have not previously benefited from concessionary charges will now be eligible.