Northampton General Hospital's new ANPR car parking system slammed as ‘not fit for purpose’ by angry visitor

Northampton General Hospital's new ANPR car parking system has been slammed as ‘not fit for purpose’.

The hospital introduced the new ANPR car parking system in mid-March, which photographs the registration plate of all vehicles that enter and leave the site.

Visitors pay when they leave the hospital, as the cameras are linked to on-site pay machines, so entering a registration number will determine how much the parking is, based on how long the vehicle has been parked.

Patients and visitors are also be able to drop off and pick up for 30 minutes, including taxi’s for free.

However, what happens if you don’t find a space after more than 30 minutes of searching?

Danny Carroll was visiting his friend at NGH on Wednesday, March 20, but was unable to find a space after more than an hour of searching.

The 47-year-old said: “I was looking for a space for an hour and 10 minutes. I was completely unaware about the ANPR. I came in via the maternity end and left via the Vauxhall garage. I literally circled everywhere. As I left I saw a sign saying, ‘don’t forget the ANPR system and to pay’. This sign was only at one side of the hospital.

"As soon as I realised I went over the 30-minute limit, I rang the hospital and explained I hadn’t stopped and that I was just looking for a space. The woman said I’ll have to pay the £1.10 parking fee because I was on site, but that’s for parking and I wasn’t able to park.

"That system there doesn’t work. It’s not fit for purpose. It’s made it worse. It’s crazy. You’re literally going into a car park that you have no idea is full or empty or if there are any spaces.

"When the fine comes I’m going to appeal it, which I was advised to do. I’m not paying the £1.10 fee. It’s the principle. I didn’t park there.”

Danny added: “There was a woman in absolute tears. She said she waited six months for her appointment, she arrived an hour early for her appointment and her appointment was in a few minutes because she couldn’t find a space.”

Responding, NGH’s director of facilities and estates Paul Shead said: “We understand the frustration of trying to park on the NGH site at busy times and our new number plate recognition system does allow for half-an-hour of circling to find a space. However we can’t allow waiting on site for longer than this as it would lead to even more congestion.

"However, over the next two months, we are fitting vehicle monitoring stations which will show motorists how many spaces are left, or not, in a car park which should help avoid unnecessary circling, queuing, and congestion.”