BGH bosses’ plans to increase parking space to accommodate an extra 79 vehicles are to be welcomed.
Visitors to hospitals are often already stressed about a sick – or, at times, dying – friend or relative, and the last thing they need is a struggle to find a parking space.
We all appreciate the vital work hospital workers do and their need to be able to park without too much difficulty must also be a consideration.
To be fair to health chiefs, they had already introduced changes such as car-sharing permits and dedicated staff places following concerns expressed by Darnick residents about problems caused by BGH employees parking in the village’s streets.
But will the extra spaces be the prescription which settles this issue? We fear not.
It has long been argued in some quarters that building extra, wider roads simply encourages more traffic – ditto parking spaces.
Perhaps if more visitors and staff used public transport to get to hospital it might lead to an easing of the situation.
There are bus services to and from the hospital, and while they might not suit everyone – particularly staff on night and early-morning shifts – those who live on routes served by public transport could help their fellow Borderers from the more remote parts of the region if they let the bus take the strain.