UNIVERSITY Hospital Limerick is in negotiation to provide a rent-a-bike scheme for members of its workforce in the face of a shortage of parking for staff, patients, and visitors alike.
CEO of University Hospital Limerick (UHL), Professor Colette Cowan, said that negotiations have opened with Limerick City and County Council to establish such a scheme for the Dooradoyle campus.
“In the long term, the capital plan for UHL includes a proposal for a multi-storey car park on the site, but such a proposal is subject to planning permission and funding,” the CEO said.
Professor Cowan was answering a question posed at the Health Forum West meeting by Limerick Social Democrats councillor Elisa O’Donovan, who asked for detailed parking management plans for around UHL “and what will be done to prevent staff and visitors to UHL from parking in residential areas around UHL”.
The CEO said that parking for staff is a major challenge for any public service body, and “UL Hospitals Group has for some time prioritised working to provide sufficient parking capacity for staff”.
At present, a total of 1,000 car parking spaces are provided for staff and patients, including three off-site staff parking locations served by a daily park-and-ride bus service.
Further staff parking has also been made available for admin staff at sites in Raheen Business Park.
“We have also endeavoured to facilitate staff who wish to cycle to UHL by providing six secure bicycle bays onsite, with one further bay in planning,” Professor Cowan told Cllr O’Donovan.
“We are in early stage discussions with Limerick City and County Council around the provision of a bike rental service in collaboration with Transport for Ireland.
“The above measures enable us to provide approximately 400 spaces across three car parks on the UHL site for patients and their relatives.
“We have also relocated and increased by 40 per cent the number of car parking spaces for patients with disabilities. These are now situated in the underground car park, close to the elevators”.
“Meanwhile, given the level of present-day demand for parking at the only Model 4 acute hospital serving Limerick, Clare, and North Tipperary, UHL site managers are acutely aware of the need to balance the needs of our staff and service-users against the rights of our residential neighbours, and we continue through our internal communications channels to urge all staff to engage with the parking measures provided”.
