It is incredible that government and allied planning agencies are able to design and build major projects yet leave out small details like allowing for future capacity.
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Sydney is full of motorways that are seemingly being widened every few years at a huge expense because future expansion was not built in.
The M4 is on its third re-build at the moment, the M2 has had one major expansion and the M7 is in urgent need of widening right now.
At Westmead Hospital a huge multi-storey car park is under construction because the space allocated when it was built has proved to be woefully inadequate.
And this is all money that could be spent on other projects – including those in regional NSW.
But the Orange Health Service is in a class of its own.
The car parks were full soon after it opened.
It took the fear of losing a byelection to finally get the government to promise funding to expand the car park by 160 spots.
Then health minister Jillian Skinner announced $1 million would be spent, with work to start in 2017.
Her replacement and current health minister Brad Hazzard has given a “100 per cent guarantee” the work will be done.
But when will it actually take place?
The latest information is that providing planning is done, work will start next year.
We certainly hope there is no further delay because everyday the government dithers on allocating the money and getting the work started patients, staff and visitors have to deal with the dramas of finding a car park at Orange hospital.
Why pick on the people who least have time for such a drama?
They all have more on their minds than wondering how long they will drive around the health service precinct looking for a gap.
Since the government lost the byelection the path from Macquarie Street to Orange has been well-worn by ministers with promises.
Most of them seem to be timed to be finished, or at least at a stage to offer a backdrop for a photo opportunity, for the next state election in 2019.
Let’s forget the politicking and do something for the people of Orange, and the people who travel to Orange Hospital.
Hopefully by the time they are built the demand will not exceed the new capacity.