WITH State Parliament rising for Christmas and an election due in March, talk of a multimillion dollar funding package to fix Orange hospital’s parking woes carries plenty of weight.
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Member for Orange Andrew Gee flagged a $10 million multi-storey car park as one option yesterday after a meeting with member for Dubbo and Deputy Premier Troy Grant.
It is a hefty price tag for a car park, particularly one in a regional city the size of Orange, but as Mr Gee acknowledges the parking shortage at the hospital isn’t going to disappear and will inevitably get worse as future demand for hospital services grow.
Despite apparently offering no guarantees on funding Mr Grant now knows the issue is out there and public expectations have been raised. As the election draws closer voters in Orange will be keen to know whether the Baird government will meet Mr Gee’s challenge and “show us the money”.
It is a considerable sum to pump into parking at a hospital almost surrounded by open space but there is a limit to how far out NSW Health could roll the bitumen, if a cheaper option was considered.
The government should also be concerned about how far medical staff and other shift workers should be forced to walk to cars late at night.
Cr Glenn Taylor, a veteran of Labor campaigns for the seat of Orange, and a close observer of the problems with parking and traffic which accompanied the opening of the hospital, knows the issue won’t go away.
His suggestion to seal the grass nature strip on Forest Road as a temporary measure could only be that. Developments across the street and in the general vicinity can only increase traffic flow on what is already a busy road.
It is now up to Mr Grant to come up with enough funding for a solution. He will have Mr Gee and Cr Taylor waiting on an announcement before the election.