VINCI Park has been awarded a contract to design, build and manage car parking at Broadgreen Hospital, for two hospitals in Broadgreen, Liverpool. The Royal Liverpool Broadgreen University Hospital NHS Trust and The Cardiothoracic Centre – Liverpool NHS Trust.
VINCI Park will provide an additional 774 spaces through the construction of a decked car park under a 15-year agreement.
Nick Brooks, Project Director for the Broadgreen/CTC Project said “We were impressed by VINCI Park’s professional approach, good understanding of our needs and their wish to add value to this project”.
VINCI Park will provide an overall investment of £3,150,000, which will include the construction of a decked car park and parking office, the provision of new signage throughout the whole site, the supply of a new automatic pay station and the introduction of a courtesy bus to transport customers around the site.
Sue Taylor, Chief Executive of VINCI Park UK, says “VINCI has been able to provide a total service solution for the Trusts. The design and construction of the decked Car Park being carried out by Norwest Holst, VINCI Park’s sister company in the UK.”
The demand for space has increased owing to the current expansion of the hospital facilities following a capital investment of £80m. The development will provide a Treatment Centre and a Cardiac Centre in a combined development.
A phased programme of work will guarantee minimal disruption to the service and loss of spaces will be maintained at a maximum of 50 spaces during the construction period. Careful consideration has been given to harmonising the new car park within the hospital site. Cladding materials and a curved roof over the staircase have been selected and designed to complement the Hospital development, whilst the stepped, louvered screen to the structure’s south elevation facing Thomas Drive has been designed to prevent overlooking the houses opposite and will also act as a dramatic feature ‘signifying’ the entrance to he hospital grounds.
The agreement with the Trust allows the flexibility to further expand the parking facilities by the construction of additional decks, should greater capacity be required at a future stage.
New Parking Technology at Cardiff
Since October 2004, VINCI Park Cardiff has made extensive improvements to the parking infrastructure at the Cardiff University Hospital Wales (UHW). The works, which cost in excess of £365,000 involved the replacement of all Pay and Display Machines, the installation of Pay on Foot equipment and digital CCTV, the introduction of a combi-rechargeable smart card, car park resurfacing, bay marking and the refurbishment of the parking shop.
Mike Spencer, General Manager Clinical Support Services and Facilities said "The Trust has worked closely with VINCI Park to identify areas for improvement in the way parking services are provided and in the development of solutions. Regular meetings between Trust managers, staff representatives, service users and VINCI Park have facilitated the implementation of the changes to the benefit of users and the company."
The reallocation of parking spaces and the new payment system is designed to optimise the use of parking facilities shared by the general public and the Hospital’s staff. “We set out to work with the Trust and users of the site to develop an innovative and flexible parking management system, designed to meet the needs of the users today and tomorrow. In collaboration with Parkeon we have delivered on our commitment for continued reinvestment in the quality of our service provision. This innovative system coupled with the ongoing investment in our staff, reinforces the partnership with the University Hospital of Wales” said Tim Taylor, Managing Director, VINCI Park Cardiff.
Smart Cards - VINCI Park Cardiff has introduced combi rechargeable smart cards, which are available to the 5,000 staff at -UHW – as well as regular or long-term patients and visitors, enabling them to use a single card to pay for parking in Pay-on-Foot (P-o-F) pay stations at the site’s multi-level parking facilities, and in Pay & Display (P&D) terminals in its surface car parks. The smart cards, provided by Parkeon, integrate contact and contactless technology on a single card allowing highly flexible and convenient parking control.
The smart card also enables VINCI Park to offer a range of parking tariffs and concessions, which vary according to each car park’s designated use(s) and the time of day, to four staff user groups at the Hospital.
The scheme gives Cardiff UHW’s personnel access to parking on different parts of the site - for whatever period is convenient - whilst also enabling them to strike a balance between cost and convenience when deciding where to park. Another benefit is multiple entry/exit facilities within a 24-hour parking period, at a fixed fee, to complement the work schedule of multi-shift and multi-centre health staff.
The cards are a convenient alternative to cash or credit cards, both for staff and regular or long term patients/visitors. They remove the worry of not having the right coins available to pay for P&D parking, both day-to-day and in the longer term.
Staff can purchase 3 types of card: Beta S – this is paid through their salaries and allows unlimited access to Car Park 9, Beta V – allows 25 days parking with the facility to leave and return to the car park throughout the day and Sigma – a top up card that charges 90p per visit.
Visitors can purchase a Long Term Visitor Card for those who have to visit the site continuously; this also offers a discount on the daily rate and is aimed at those who will be in or visiting the hospital for an extended period. Non-cardholders are able to pay with coins, bank notes and credit cards, according to the type of payment machines provided in each car park..
Multi-Storey Car Park - VINCI Park has replaced the original access control equipment in the MSCP with a Parkeon Varioflex P-o-F installation, enabling customers to pay by credit card, bank notes or to top up their parking card. The card scheme is integrated with a video-based licence plate recognition (LPR) system, which automatically raises an entry barrier for cardholders - speeding up entry to the car park and reducing traffic flow congestion. Other works included the redecoration of the lift lobby and the installation of new floor coating and signage.
Single Deck Car Park - 280 spaces, previously a Pay & Display (P&D) car park. A Varioflex P-o-F, barrier-controlled system has been installed. These spaces are now available for visitors during the day and can be used by night staff using the Parking card. The use of contactless cards also makes for quicker entries/exits at this car park. Other works included the treatment of the concrete upper decks and copings with Pavix product, to protect the concrete for a minimum of 5 years, and the relining of the car park.
Surface Car Parks - VINCI Park replaced the existing P&D machines in the surface car parks with 20 new Parkeon solar-powered Stelio™ P&Ds.
Car Park 11, which was previously a mixed-use car park, has been dedicated solely to Blue Badge Holders by the creation of 76 wide bayed spaces. This involved a complete relining of the car park to the latest DDA Standards. Whilst there was a provision for Blue Badge holders at the Hospital it was fragmented and under pressure for space, this provision ensures that there is always space for genuine users.
The Parking Shop has been refurbished in order to create an open and welcoming environment and to accommodate parking equipment and CCTV monitors. All CCTV cameras on site are linked to the Parking shop. This involved the installation of new digital recording equipment and monitors, linked to the intercom system, so that attendants can now see the customers they are assisting at the entry/exit/pay station. A reduction of queues at the parking shop has resulted from the flexible payment methods offered by the parking card.
Parking Management Software. VINCI Park is utilising Parkeon’s PC-based Parking Rights software to manage the card issuing and driver/vehicle database management system, facilitate relevant concessions, and prevent unauthorised usage. Drivers can register more than one vehicle on their cards but should they be driving an unregistered one, they can still access the MSCP by presenting their combi card at an entry terminal, instead of relying on the LPR system.
Another PC-based Parkeon program, Varioflex™ Financial, monitors the P-o-F installations’ revenues using data downloaded directly from the pay stations and terminals to the system’s server from both multi-level car parks. A similar package, Parkfolio™ Financial, provides the same function for the P&D terminals, from which data are downloaded via a Jumbo hand-held terminal. The programs output comprehensive financial and statistical information relating to the use of all the car parks at Cardiff UHW. This helps both external and internal management to review and develop the parking facilities.
Direct e-mail access and the intranet - A host of parking information is now available for staff on the trust’s intranet, including information on permit issue, civil penalty notice, operational changes and VINCI Park’s customer charter (information is also available in Welsh). Additionally a direct e-mail address for the parking shop has been created to provide staff with a quick route for problem solving.
About VINCI Park UK
VINCI Park UK is part of the VINCI Group, world leader in concessions, construction and related services. We design, finance, build and manage parking infrastructure and facilities for public and private organisations around the world.
Operating in 12 countries and managing 810,000 parking spaces, VINCI Park is a world leader in car park concessions and the number 1 operator in Europe.
VINCI Park UK draws on the strengths of its constituent companies throughout Europe, Canada, Chile and Hong Kong to offer its clients the widest range of parking related services. VINCI Park UK is guided by deeply held values and aims to set the highest standards within the parking industry through the application of innovation and quality of service.
