The Royal Marsden yellow line scheme The Royal Marsden Hospital is renowned for its great work in healing and helping the sick.

The Hospital has changed dramatically over the last few years.

The number of patients accessing medical services has grown dramatically. More patients have meant more visitors wishing to visit their loved ones.

The working practices of the hospital workers have changed that has increased the numbers of nurses and doctors.

All this is good for the sick and for the hospital; it is something we should all be proud of.

But there is always a but!!!

These great benefits of the hospital have thrown up a difficulty that is giving misery and frustration to the local community.

For all these people coming to the hospital there is nowhere to park in the hospital car park. The result is that all the surrounding roads have cars parked in many cases both sides of the road.

The council can put on all the buses the encouraging people to go by bike, but this will not solve the problem. The car is the best form of transport for workers and patients.

The Council are aware of this problem and rather than looking to solve the transport problem they look to make it more difficult for people to park by installing a rash yellow lines and the introduction of parking meters. This gives more misery for patients and staff.

Opposite the hospital there is a huge area of scrubland that was donated to the people by some wealthy gent many years ago. There are details of this on a notice board followed by all the things you are not allowed to do on the land. The land when it was given would have been a place where people would go for picnics and camping. This does not happen now and the main use is for dog walkers. It is my view that a very very small % of the local people uses this land.

If you could ask this man who donated this land if the local people could use a small part of it for a car park that would make so many people happy he would say yes.

If you were to take a vote of the local people if this was the best solution there would be a huge yes vote.

Another bright Would the people who park on both sides of the road in fairway be willing to pay £3 a day for parking? If so there are many residents in the road willing to rent their drive to park. They do this on Wimbledon week.

This is what is called lateral thinking!!!!!!

David Gilders Community correspondent.

Based on information supplied by David Gilders.