New parking spaces on residential roads offered to hospital and NHS staff will remain available to all.
Reading Borough Council (RBC) and Royal Berkshire Hospital NHS Foundation Trust have agreed a deal to offer 178 discount car parking spaces for staff on surrounding streets, including Upper Redlands Road and Kendrick Road.
Concerns had been raised by residents about the lack of consultation and about the loss of residential parking spaces, but the council said the bays will remain open for all to use on a first-come-first-served basis.
READ MORE: Royal Berkshire hospital staff get residential parking spots
But the pay-and-display bays will be available to all residents, with hospital and NHS staff offered a reduced parking rate.
Councillor Tony Page, RBC’s lead member for Strategic Environment, Planning and Transport, said: “This initiative does not change or affect any resident parking bays and will therefore have no impact on residents’ parking.
“No changes are proposed and no consultations are therefore required.”
The deal also includes provision of 600 parking spaces at Queens Road Car Park.
RBC identified the spare capacity a result of regular data surveys of both on-street and off-street parking capacity.
Cllr Page added: “It should also be noted that the amount of parking used by hospital staff and visitors at any given moment is highly unlikely to reach that capacity due to the constant turnover associated with staff shift patterns or hospital visits.
“We expect the on-street parking to be flexible and mainly used by staff who may work in the field, rather than in the hospital full time. The on-street parking is more accessible than the off-street provision at Queens Road car park, which allows community based staff to come and go throughout the day.
The initiative aims to help the hospital better meet the parking needs of patients, visitors and staff, sitting alongside current hospital initiatives l its cycle to work scheme, a car share club, a walking club, and an electric vehicle incentive scheme.
The council said it intends to continue work with the hospital to further prioritise the use of electric vehicles, and its wider and longer-term travel strategy to promote environmental policies to both staff and visitors.
READ MORE: Alok Sharma under fire again over quarantine-free travel to red list countries
It will monitor the impact of the changes and an update report will be discussed at a future meeting of the Traffic Management Sub-Committee.
Royal Berkshire Hospital staff were provided with free parking at Queens Road Car Park for more than a year during the pandemic.
Cllr Page added: “The council is proud of the support that we have been able to give the RBH staff and patients during one of the most challenging periods in the history of the NHS.
“That is also reflected in the ‘Thank You NHS’ which we promoted on the London Road outside the RBH.
Comments: Our rules
We want our comments to be a lively and valuable part of our community - a place where readers can debate and engage with the most important local issues. The ability to comment on our stories is a privilege, not a right, however, and that privilege may be withdrawn if it is abused or misused.
Please report any comments that break our rules.
Read the rules here