This week Blog on herediscusses hospital parking charges and barrier-free tolling

Hospital parking charges

If hospitals wish to retain barriers to ensure parking is reserved for patients and their families, why do they not introduce ticket stampers (like the ones Superquinn in Blackrock have) that enable you to have free parking once the ticket is stamped/punched. The stampers could be placed on wards and the nurses could stamp the tickets for families visiting or patients in hospital for day treatments.

Given that cancer care in particular is centralised and people already have to travel long distances to get their treatment, it is grossly unfair to sick and terminally ill patients to charge them for parking. The hidden costs of being ill - petrol costs and parking costs - are a burden when people are at their most vulnerable financially. Many people receiving treatment already have diminished incomes because they have to take sick leave. Parking fees should be waived for patients and their immediate families. Laura

Barrier-free tolling

Another infrastructural calamity presided over by our Government. When will we learn and take action like our French cousins? Full support to the hauliers. I will be taking to the back roads to avoid this modern-day Dick Turpin. Ronan

I'm self-employed and used the toll bridge six times during the first four months of 2008. Net of VAT, that annualises at €29.75 or €1.65 on average. As my wife and I use two cars I would need two tags for convenience (why can't you share a tag by registering two numbers?). EFlow would cost €60 or €3.30 per trip; video recognition €45 or €2.50 a trip. Cheapest seems Tolltag at €2.20/trip. Even this is 33 per cent higher than what I now pay [prior to barrier-free tolling]. Patrick