Ghent University Hospital (UZ Gent) is obliging staff who live within 3 kilometres of their place of work to choose a mode of transport other than the car. The measure only applies to staff working a day shift and is being introduced because the hospital is facing a huge parking problem. The plan is to eventually get up to 1,000 staff members to switch to cycling or public transport to provide enough parking spaces for patients and visitors. Now there are often traffic jams at UZ Gent, and it sometimes takes a very long time to find a parking space.
Ghent University Hospital introduced a new company transport plan on 1 June. One of its aims is to get more staff members onto bicycles, buses or trams so that enough parking space remains free. According to Stijn Van Daele, who is responsible for security at hospital, the UZ has no other choice. There are currently some 3,700 spaces at the hospital. Due to construction work, that number will sometimes drop to 3,200 at some point in the near future, and there are already problems. So that is why parking restrictions are being introduced.
"The hospital is growing. Every year, more patients, visitors and staff use the car park," says Van Daele. 'We want patients and visitors to have easy access to the campus by car at all times. Because UZ Gent is a third-line hospital - you often only go there after referral by a GP - you often come from far away and then the car is sometimes the only viable option. A hospital visit is demanding in itself, the search for a parking space should not put an extra burden on patients and visitors."
Fewer parking spaces for staff
On site parking spaces remain occupied for the longest period of time by UZ Gent staff, usually more than eight hours, and they often drive in at the busiest times, during rush hours. This is why restrictions on staff parking will be introduced. "We want to reduce car use by our staff, from 61.5 of employees at present to 47 per cent," says Van Daele.
Available parking spaces for staff are allocated on the basis of the commuting distance of each employee. In doing so, UZ Gent makes no distinction between jobs. There are exceptions to the general rule for on-call shifts and for medical reasons. All staff also receive 24 free access hours a year to cover exceptional situations. People who work in shifts are excluded from the measure.
In a first phase, employees who live less than 3 kilometres from the hospital will no longer be able to enter the campus between 7 and 11 am. In 2025, this distance will rise to 5 kilometres. Consultations with the unions are planned.
Yves Derycke of the socialist union ACOD is satisfied with the approach. "It makes sense to ask people who live so close to us to make an effort. Now we hear stories of cancer patients coming from far away who have to drive around for up to an hour to find a parking space. That cannot be the intention."