Bus park plan is opposed

Replacing car parks with bus stops could endanger the lives of extremely ill patients, a doctor at a New Plymouth after-hoursmedical clinic believes.

Medicross Taranaki Ltd chairman Selim Kabir said the clinic was strongly opposed to a New Plymouth District Council proposal to remove car parks right outside the clinic's Richmond Centre premises.

The council is proposing to remove eight metered parks on Egmont St, from Ariki to St Aubyn streets to accommodate an increased number of buses in the CBD once the Taranaki Regional Council introduces an expanded city bus service.

Dr Kabir isn't so sure the solution is the right one though.

He said sick and disabled patients should have easy access to the clinic, so "a life is not lost because there are no parks available".

And his biggest concern was for ambulance transfers to the hospital, usually for people with bad chest pains or people who have collapsed. "At the moment the ambulances just park in front while the parks are here," Dr Kabir said. "We've talked to the council about having a dedicated space for the ambulance and they've said no you can use the parks. But if the parks aren't there we can't use them."

Nico Jacobs, owner of the neighbouring after-hours City Care Pharmacy said the move will badly effect his day-time business, which he needs to subsidise the after-hours service.

The pharmacy, open from 8.30am until 9pm seven days a week, caters for after hours customers from Awakino to Opunake, he said.

"The importance from a pharmacy perspective is speed, get people in and out," he said.

"If parks aren't available they will go somewhere else."

Council's roading assets manager Max Aves said the project was currently in the consultation phase and any concerns from affected businesses would be included in a report to be presented to the council's monitoring committee on March 23.

- © Fairfax NZ News