Thursday 20 August 2009

Dr Stanley Yu and NHS car dependency

“If a hospital is in central London, I agree that we should use public transport.

“However, if a hospital is in the middle of nowhere and public transport is very limited, why do we have to pay to park in a staff car park given we have already spent petrol and car maintenance money to come to work?

“Given I work in central London, and I live in N11, the only choice I have to reach Whipps Cross in good time for the afternoon clinic is to drive.”

Sobs Dr Stanley Yu, who is a typically lazy, car-dependent NHS worker.

Obviously walking, cycling, buses, trains and tube trains are too good for the likes of complacent Dr Yu.

He works at Barts, which is in easy walking distance of three tube stations - St Paul’s, Barbican and Farringdon. He lives in N11, i.e. in either Enfield, Barnet, Haringey, all of which have perfectly adequate public transport links.

Dr Yu describes Whipps Cross Hospital as being “in the middle of nowhere”, which is laughable.

The hospital’s own website provides information on how to reach it by train, bus or bicycle.

Dr Yu could hop on a train from Liverpool Street, arrive at Wood Street station in 20 minutes, and walk to the hospital. Or unfold a Brompton and cycle.

He’s not unusual, of course. The world is full of people like him, whining about how they MUST use their cars. I know a teacher in Waltham Forest who drives along just three streets to school. A transport option made attractive by free staff parking. I think it’s probably the case that ALL schools in Waltham Forest provide free parking for staff.

Staff at Whipps Cross apparently pay £1 a day to park – a risibly small amount. Charge them £20 a day. Squeeze these NHS oil addicts until they discover public transport or cycling.

It won’t happen, of course. The NHS promotes ill-health and climate catastrophe. The NHS is a sick institution, run by drug (oil and car) addicts, rotten from the top down.