Residents living on a road near Nottingham City Hospital say they are angry at "ridiculous" parking in the area, with cars parking on either side of the road, on yellow lines and across driveways. Some living on Alderton Road in the Edwards Lane estate in the north of Sherwood have taken matters into their own hands, putting wheelie bins in the road to stop motorists from parking outside their house.
Bus operator Nottingham City Transport (NCT) has said that in recent weeks, the route for their Blue 40 has either had to stop early at Nottingham City Hospital or was diverted on a number of days. It should serve stops on Alderton Road, Longmead Drive and Northwood Crescent. Residents living on Alderton Road say they have had enough, and want the area to have permits like other roads and streets around them.
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Jessica Landa, 29, said: "When it's been busy, some cars have parked across our drive and we've not been able to get out, it's just ridiculous. There have been yellow lines painted at the bottom of the hill, but it's just moved the problem up the road.
"We could do with this road having permits. Everyone around here has been ringing the council about it."
Sharon Saunders, 45, said: "I can't get out sometimes because of cars in the way. People around here park so stupidly, so I've put bins out to stop people parking outside my house, and they're staying there.
"I've tried to get on to my drive before, but I can't get in because cars have been parked so close either side so I can't turn in. I have to reverse and get really close to others to make it in.
"Everyone still parks on the double yellow lines. There have been some accidents down there."
Faye Goodman, 74, who has lived in her house for 68 years, said: "It's a huge problem, I had a stroke and have a blue badge sign outside my house so that it's clear for access and so I can get into taxis, but people still park outside it. People around here park anywhere.
"I go to the shop sometimes, and if a taxi pulls up opposite, I can't get across the road. Sometimes it has to stop in the middle of the road and then it holds up traffic, it's a catch 22.
"It's been bad in the past couple of weeks especially. I think it's bad that people are made to pay to park at Nottingham City Hospital, whether that's staff or people visiting those that are sick."
While Nottinghamshire Live was speaking to residents, two people wearing hospital uniforms were seen parking their cars and walking to City Hospital. A NCT bus was followed too, and it had to stop in the middle of the road to serve bus stops on Alderton Road, and struggled to turn onto Longmead Drive because of parked cars.
Anthony Carver-Smith, head of marketing at NCT, said: "We have had to curtail or divert our Blue 40 bus on a number of days now due to Alderton Road being inaccessible because of how cars are parked. This is a relatively new issue we are experiencing and support any initiative that will ensure our buses can continue to serve the Edwards Lane estate."
A union representing NHS staff at Nottingham's hospitals has said current parking arrangements are nothing but a "cash-grab" on workers. A nurse of 30 years recently spoke to Nottinghamshire Live revealing she was stressed and ready to leave her job due to the problem.
Car parking charges are set to be reintroduced at both City Hospital from Monday (June 27) and at the Queen's Medical Centre from Wednesday (June 29). An automatic number plate recognition barrier system will be in place, along with boards telling motorists how many spaces are left in car parks.
A spokesperson for Nottingham University Hospitals NHS Trust, which runs the City Hospital, said: "We apologise to any residents who have been inconvenienced by staff parking on their streets. Staff who do not have a parking permit have access to a range of subsidised travel options including our free Medilink Bus, which serves all our hospital sites, or can use the staff travel to work scheme to get discounts on local public transport.
"We do not condone any illegal parking and If legal offsite parking is absolutely necessary our expectations of staff is to always be considerate to those living there."
Nottingham City Council's transport team confirmed in more than two years, there have been no complaints on Alderton Road. The local authority urges people to report any issues by emailing Traffic.Management@nottinghamcity.gov.uk.
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