A new “beeping” sound coming from a car park barrier will be removed in the next few weeks, Harrogate Hospital has said.
A resident contacted the Stray Ferret to say the noise, which activates every time the barrier at the entrance is used, was causing a nuisance.
David Spain, who lives around 100m from the hospital, said the beeping sound had originally been present when the barrier was first installed many years ago.
After residents complained about the noise, it was switched off. However, the barrier was recently repaired and, when switched back on, the beeping had returned.
He said:
“With my doors and windows closed, I can hear it clearly from about 6am when people start coming to work.
“Being retired and not having to get up at that time, I don’t really want to be woken by it. It’s not going to shatter any windows, but it is irritating.
“It’s when it goes up that it beeps. When it comes down, it doesn’t beep, which seems strange.”
Mr Spain said he had contacted the hospital to raise the issue when it started around 10 days ago, but had no response.
However, he said he was still pleased to live close to the hospital, which had treated him in an emergency, adding:
“They saved my life – I’ve got no beef with the hospital. I would be dead if it weren’t for them.”
A spokesperson for Harrogate and District NHS Foundation Trust (HDFT), which runs the hospital, said:
“The Trust holds a duty of care for the safety of our patients, visitors and colleagues. Our barriers at the main visitor car park at Harrogate District Hospital are fitted with an alert noise with a set volume as a safety measure to ensure we warn and protect anyone in the vicinity of them.
“This is to ensure that we adhere to our health and safety commitments of keeping our patients, visitors and colleagues from harm and injury.”
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Parking at the hospital has been under review for some time, in a bid to reduce the amount of queuing onto the road at peak times.
HDFT announced earlier this year that a new system would be introduced later this year.
The spokesperson today confirmed this, adding:
“We have recognised that improvements are required to our car parking provision and we are implementing a new car parking management solution across the hospital site that will be in place by September 2023.
“This new car parking system will have number plate recognition which will replace the current barrier system, ensuring no further warning noises are necessary.”
