State Member for Wallsend, Ms Sonia Hornery MP, is again calling on the Minister for Health, the Minister for Roads and the Hunter New England Local Health District to explore options to reduce the traffic gridlock around the John Hunter Hospital.
Ms Hornery’s office has been contacted by dozens of workers and visitors to the hospital this week after days of traffic gridlock saw workers who had just finished long, gruelling shifts at the hospital face an hour long delay in getting out of the hospital road system.
In July this year, Hunter New England Local Health District undertook widening and resurfacing works to improve the condition of the road and traffic flow around John Hunter Hospital but this hasn’t improved anything in the two months since its completion.
Staff and visitors to the hospital have raised concerns and suggestions on how to improve traffic flow but these pleas seem to have been ignored.
Quotes attributable to Member for Wallsend, Sonia Hornery
“This has been an ongoing problem at the John Hunter Hospital since the removal of the John Hunter Hospital Shuttle Bus.”
“Staff and visitors to the hospital have been contacting my office to tell me that it is still taking between 30 and 70 minutes to exit the hospital’s grounds during peak times.”
“The road works in July have failed to deliver any improvements for staff and visitors.”
“In March last year I wrote to the Roads and Health Ministers about a short term solution to the congestion, but they have been ignored.”
“The Newcastle Inner City Bypass will alleviate the congestion but that hasn’t started and is expected to take 3 years to complete. Staff and visitors need a solution to this now.”
“I will again be raising this in Parliament today.”