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| BBC's Bill Baggs talking to Councillor Martina Humber at the New Lymington Hospital |
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Lib Dem Pennington Councillors Paul Hickman and Martina Humber recently raised their profile with appearances in the local media.
They met South Today reporter Bill Baggs at the new Lymington Hospital to take part in an item about parking problems at the hospital. Both gave interviews to Bill, and Paul was lucky enough to appear in the local BBC news broadcasts later in the day.
The next day, Martina was interviewed by radio station 2CR on the same subject and her comments were broadcast in several news bulletins.
Paul's views on the parking issue also appeared in the main headline article in the Advertiser and Times last Friday.
The two Councillors feel that not enough thought has been given to the problems faced by staff or patients who have to travel to the wonderful new facility, which has only 85 parking spaces for the 400 staff. Martina says: "Patient and visitor parking is equally problematic.
How can families fit visits to ill relatives into their busy lives if they have to wait around for buses or drive round and round the car park until a space is vacated?" Paul, keen himself to use his bike for local journeys to reduce carbon emissions and keep fit, says: "The situation is being made worse by the fact that the building of a planned cycle route from the town to the hospital has been delayed, and the bus services that call at the hospital are infrequent.
It's no good imposing city-style 'green' travel solutions on a hospital rural catchment area that is the size of the New Forest and expecting people to change their habits overnight.
The infrastructure to replace car travel has to be put in place first!" |
