Fiction or Reality?

I don`t know if the council THINK a few years ahead. Meanwhile in the USA they have experts dealing with declining cities.

Have the council considered the long-term effects of turning our area into
an extended hospital car-park?

This is a science fiction view of what could happen:

Sunderland is already suffering effects of the recession. Jobs decline.
Population moves out for work or becomes unemployed. Houses are put on the
market as a result.

Those residents who are left realise the difficulties as parking problems
become worse and the re-routing of traffic causes extra problems and adds to
commuting time. They also attempt to sell up and get out to more accessible
and less congested areas.

Cost of property declines.

Empty properties in the area increase. Some homes become boarded up and a
haven for vandals and homeless people.

People begin to fear leaving their cars in the area around the hospital. The
self-centred hospital employees have caused their own problems. Students
begin to fear studying in such a place. Emergency ambulances are attacked en
route to the hospital by marauding gangs of hoodies. Hoodies regularly
attempt to raid hospital pharmacy for drugs. Hospital has to recruit large
army of security guards.

Inner city decline continues in this part of Sunderland.Council has to
consider the possible costs of regeneration. Where can they ask funding. The
government is up to its neck in debt and because Britain by this time has
removed itself from Europe, no funding is available from there.

Sunderland becomes a very bad slum.


An alternative view:

The hospital employees are positively encouraged to car-share and are
offered FREE park and ride facilities - with services running at times to
suit hospital shifts.

Parking is extended at Pallion and Millfield Metro stations with frequent
mini-bus service by the likes of Scarlet Band (Who provide both the East
Durham Hospital Transport scheme and Durham City Park and Ride.

Free taxi service is altered from Sainsbury`s (where it duplicates the
existing bus-service) to more logical places, where it doesn`t.

Council explores possibility of Euro-funding for an underground carpark at
the hospital OR an underground hospital metro station, or underground
conveyor-belt from Millfield metro station.

Less carbon monoxide in the immediate area of the hospital improves health
and healing.

Thanks to Maria Makepeace for this thought provoking piece