The Star: January 25, 2024

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The Star Thursday January 25 2024 6 NEWS Latest Canterbury news at starnews.co.nz New hospital car park often empty, • By Niva Chittock STAFF AND patients at Christchurch Hospital are avoiding a brand new public car park because they cannot afford the fees or find it inaccessible. The Tū Waka Waipapa building opened across from the hospital in November. It was cited to help ease a near decade-long parking debacle which had seen nurses assaulted, cars stolen and patients slapped with hefty parking fines. But Nurses Organisation delegate Erica Donovan said many of Tū Waka Waipapa’s 450 parks were often empty. “That car park has made absolutely no difference. It’s not a discounted service for staff. It would be $24 a day and frankly, for most staff that is unsustainable, let alone for a lot of patients and their families,” she said. An outpatient told RNZ he used the cheaper Deans Ave Park and Ride service Erica Donovan up to four times a month instead. “We tried that (new car park) and it came to $12 for a few hours. It kind of felt like they could have built a car park HAVE YOUR SAY Share your views in 200 words or less on the Christchurch Hospital car parking situation. Email: barry@starmedia.kiwi somewhere near the hospital that wasn’t going to screw everyone over for an exuberant amount. Most people are struggling with the state of the economy as it is,” he said. The park and ride cost $5 for four hours and $10 for a day. Another shuttle user said getting aboard with a walker was a hassle, but at least he got dropped right outside the hospital. “So few disabled parks, it’s ridiculous for a hospital this size. It’s bloody awful. Have you tried to find a car park down there? It’s about as rare as rocking horse crap,” he said. The park and ride doubled the time needed for his appointments, he said. A woman who was rushing her niece to the emergency department recently got hit with a large parking ticket. “You don’t know how long you’re going to be there and of course there’s an extra cost. And if you actually don’t remember, because of the emergency that’s going on in ED for you, you don’t PARKING: Christchurch Hospital’s new public car park, Tū Waka Waipapa, charges a maximum of $24 a day, causing hospital staff and patients to look elsewhere for cheaper options. think to go and put money in your meter, and then of course, you end up with a parking bill on top of the crisis and the trauma that you’re already going through,” she said. The 35 car parks outside the emergency department were the only public parks onsite. They cost $80 per day and were managed by Wilson Parking. The woman understood having higher parking rates in the central city, but thought hospital staff and patients deserved discounted parking. Ngāi Tahu Property, which built the car park, said its rates were “set in line with CBD rates”. Wilson Parking manages the car park and declined to comment. Three other public car parks, all within a 1km radius, charged cheaper rates – two were also run by Wilson Parking. Free, on-street parking nearby was favoured by staff but came with increased risks, as one of Donovan’s colleagues found out six months ago. “We had a staff member in my area have her car stolen and it ended up across the city. That was quite an awful phone call to get, I’d imagine, while you’re on night shift, that your mode of transport home is now sitting across the city,” she said. The situation deteriorated further in summer, due to events and cricket matches at Hagley Oval, Donovan said. “Large sections around where staff park will be out of use or very busy and it just pushes people further and further out. Some colleagues park their cars in Riccarton and walk or bus to work,” she said. Donovan was offered a place on the wait list for the hospital’s current staff parking building when she started working there EXPORT QUALITY MEATS AT AFFORDABLE PRICES 303 COLOMBO STREET SYDENHAM WWW.PRIMERANGEFRESH.CO.NZ INSTORE MONDAY 22ND JANUARY TO SATURDAY 27TH JANUARY ONLINE MONDAY 22ND JANUARY TO SUNDAY 28TH JANUARY
Thursday January 25 2024 The Star Latest Canterbury news at starnews.co.nz NEWS 7 says nurse Road rage victim taken to hospital, motorist arrested • Watch the video on Starnews.co.nz OPTIONS: The Deans Ave Park and Ride costs $5 for four hours and $10 for a day. PHOTO: RNZ in 2019. “And I said no, because I’ve got friends that have been (on the waiting list) for seven years and still haven’t had their name come up.” Te Whatu Ora Waitaha Health Canterbury confirmed the current average waiting time was “approximately two years”. In 2020, it received $4.25 million from the Government to help build a two-storey extension to its existing Antigua St staff car park. The work was delayed in 2021 until the public car park was finished so it could explore leasing some of them for staff while the extension was built. But head of infrastructure Dr Rob Ojala said this plan was no longer being pursued. “We have undertaken consultant work to design the extension to Christchurch Hospital’s Antigua St staff car park and look at best ways to deliver this with minimum possible disruption. Given the position of the project currently, the costs to date remain commercially sensitive,” he said. According to documents obtained under the Official Information Act, as of February 2023, $664,000 had been spent. The total cost estimates of the project ranged between $9m and $13m. – RNZ BRUTAL: The video, filmed by a truck driver, shows a motorist punching the driver of another vehicle. A TERRIFYING road rage attack on Blenheim Rd near Deans Ave was caught on camera, leading to the arrest of a motorist. The video, sent to Chris Lynch Media, showed a man outside a car punching the driver near the Deans Ave intersection. The truck driver who captured the footage told Chris Lynch Media the incident happened at 8am on Monday and lasted about 90 seconds. A man was also taken to hospital to be assessed. Police said the 29-year-old was charged with intent to injure and is scheduled to appear in district court on Tuesday. 409 Main South Rd, Hornby dress-smart.co.nz Styles may differ to images shown.
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The Star: January 25, 2024

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