Parking Trend International - March 2006
Why so many NHS trusts in England have decided to invest in Fast Park^®?
The opportunity of a modular car park deck on hospital premises

A hospital that is able to offer suitable and effective parking services if it gives patients and visitors a welcoming business card and a good first impression.

Analyzing the conditions of the hospital network in the U.K., we see in the hospital complexes dating from the past that the parking areas between the buildings are often do not meet the demand and this creates traffic congestion and access problems for pedestrians and vehicles.

In the case of newly designed hospital sites, in the planning stage much attention is paid to the management of parking facilities, with a remarkable benefit for the users.

The Fast Park^® system solves, in both cases, a particularly difficult situation, realizing one new surface by making use of a free-standing deck, directly resulting in an increased number of parking spaces.

The positive experiences of Stockport, Portsmouth, Chorley and Oxford demonstrate the value of the Fast Park^® system for the English hospitals, for instance:

• To complete the three Fast Park^® units, with a total amount of 800 new car park spaces, at Stepping Hill Hospital in Stockport a strictly scheduled works programme has been conceived, aimed at maintaining the accessibility of the existing parking zones. The constructive phases have been scheduled so at to guarantee at all times an adequate number of spaces, minimizing inconvenience for the users.
• Within the framework of the redevelopment plan of the hospital site, the Portsmouth Primary Care NHS Trust (for the fourth consecutive year, one of the best health care trusts in England) has been able to complete the enlargement of a parking area of 2,600 sq.m. in a very short time by making use of the Fast Park^® system. In fact, the park has been completed in just three months.
  
• The case of the Chorley & South Ribble District General Hospital is very interesting as regards the flexibility of design and installation of the Fast Park^® system. The parking area to be enlarged comprises sections of different heights (height difference of about 2 metres.) and has an uneven surface. Thanks to the original adjustment devices of the structure, which also absorb the various slopes, there is no need for traditional ground works.
  
• At John Radcliffe Hospital in Oxford, the modular nature and the flexibility of the Fast Park^® has made it possible to install the structure in a parking area with an irregular shape, maximizing the number of parking places.