Car Parking a ‘Nightmare’ for Hospital Staff
January 25, 2009
WORKERS at Aberdeen Royal Infirmary today claimed they were being threatened with £20 fines for parking in free spaces.
They will no longer be allowed to leave their vehicles in empty visitor spaces if the staff car park is full.
The new rules have left many employees fuming.
Elizabeth Lloyd, 57, a nurse at the Foresterhill site, said staff are being urged to use the park and ride scheme to get to and from work.
But she said this did not suit everyone.
She said: “The park and ride is useless for people doing early shift.
“I start at 7am and the first bus doesn’t get in until 6.50am – which is too much of a push.
“Also I can work until 10pm and the park and ride closes at 8pm. It just won’t work.”
There are currently 730 spaces for staff in the car park and 400 for patients and visitors.
The visitor car park at the hospital became free of charge on January 1 but there are 5,500 staff at the complex.
The Scottish Government told NHS Grampian to reintroduce free parking at Aberdeen Royal Infirmary and Dr Gray’s Hospital in Elgin.
The move followed a high-profile Evening Express campaign to scrap the charges.
Source: http://www.eveningexpress.co.uk
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Concerns about LPG Powered Cars in Enclosed Car Parks
January 23, 2009
LPG (under a variety of names “GPL” and “Auto gas” also) is widely used as a vehicle fuel in Far East, USA, Europe. USA, UK, Holland, Italy and France have particularly well developed infrastructures.
There are serious restrictions on LPG fuelled vehicles using ferries, tunnels, enclosed car parks. They do check and they turn back vehicles simply when found. All underground car parks in Europe and in the USA have signs banning for LPG powered vehicles.
Since 2001, LPG tanks and fuel systems are fitted with active safety mechanisms that better minimize the risk of explosion or leakage, making it safe to park vehicles also in multi-story and underground car parks. The Italy Interior Ministry allows all LPG vehicles with a safety system that complies to the ECE/ONU no. 67/01 Regulation to park on the first underground floor of multi-story car parks, even when connected to other underground floors.
LPG is pressurized and LPG tanks are sealed. Sealed tanks eliminate evaporative emissions or spillage. Using outage valves incorrectly during refueling, however, could cause excess vapor discharge.
The weight of LPG vapors at ambient temperatures is approximately 150 % the weight of air. If there is a leak, LPG vapors tend to sink to the ground and pool, creating a potentially hazardous situation. In some areas in North America, LPG vehicles are not allowed in enclosed car parks, tunnels. LPG is extremely volatile and burns twice as hot as a gasoline fire. Vehicle fuel tanks in LPG vehicles are of relatively thick-wall steel construction. In the event of a vehicle crash, they are much less prone to rupture or to cause fires than gasoline tanks.
LPG can explode when mixed with air in the range 1.8 % to 8.6 %. It requires a small ignition source, which could be a match, cigarette, electrical spark (think overhead catenary) or even a simple sharp strike against certain materials, particularly metals containing aluminum, magnesium, titanium etc.
You can smell a leak of LPG, but you have nowhere to go to escape in such place. LPG gas sinks so its difficult for the ventilation system to extract it. Spilt petrol falls to the ground, but then it evaporates. Auto gas is more explosive than petrol.
LPG is stored in a closed high pressure system so any breach will leak gas or liquid that rapidly gasifies leading to an air/gas mixture of potentially the correct proportions. Once ignited the explosion is highly likely to lead to fire and subsequent possible death by carbon monoxide poisoning as well as fire and shrapnel injuries.
Federal Council of Switzerland has officially banned LPG powered vehicles from multi-storey car parks! An appropriate sign was developed, but it cannot be used in German-speaking Switzerland because nobody understands the meaning of the French abbreviation GPL. Authorities has written to the Council to launch a debate on both a Switzerland-wide ban and an appropriate sign that can be understood throughout Switzerland, or even throughout Europe. The rules in force do not prohibit the imposition of individual bans. The owner or the management of a multi-storey car parks have the right to ban access to vehicles of this type by putting up an appropriate sign, and naturally such an arrangement would apply to foreign vehicles too.
In case of basement fires offer a degree of complexity and hazard beyond the normal building fire due to heat build up and the need for firefighting access being made from above. Enclosed car fires can develop to create an extreme heat and smoke environment, possibly compromising the structure. This may have a direct impact on not only occupants but also firefighter safety, especially in relation to search and rescue.
Insurance Companies in Europe and USA have continued the risk analysis and made recommendations on the construction, equipment and other safety measures of multi-storey enclosed car parks.
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China Auto Industry 2008
January 22, 2009
Shanghai Daily Newspaper is publishing auto industry stories of the 2008. Here is one of them you can read on:
THE impact of the global financial crisis on the auto industry has been growing since the second half of last year.
China stepped up a series of efforts to defy the economic downturn and spur domestic consumption, sending positive signals to the industry.
Fuel tax reform is the latest government effort to direct the automotive industry toward greener and more energy-efficient methods.
The struggling US auto industry is also teaching Chinese counterparts that more attention should be placed on small cars and new-energy vehicles.
China lost its first dispute since it entered the World Trade Organization in 2001 when tariff policies on auto parts drew criticism from western car makers.
Shanghai Daily previously highlighted the first five of 2008′s top 10 auto industry stories. Today, we publish the remaining top stories of the year. Read the restof article : Lessons to be learned from the US …
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Airport Wins Safe Parking Award
January 18, 2009
MANCHESTER AIRPORT WINS SAFE PARKING AWARD
Manchester Airport (MA) has won a “Park Mark” Award from the Association of Chief Police Officers (ACPO) for improving the safety and facilities in its public car parking areas.
The improvements made have led to a 79 per cent reduction in vehicle crime across the airport site over the last three years.
The prestigious Park Mark Awards are only awarded to companies that have put in comprehensive measures to deter criminal activity within parking facilities.
Manchester Airport – which has space on site for 14,000 cars in its seven public car parks – has won the award following a programme of works designed to improve the safety of its facilities.
Over £250,000 has been invested in the works that include the installation of additional fencing, lighting and CCTV in hotspot areas.
John Spooner, managing director of Manchester Airport, said: “We want to provide safe and secure facilities for our customers and we’re delighted that the improvements we’ve made to our car parks have been officially recognised by this award. We will continue to work with the police to ensure that vehicle crime continues to drop across the airport site.”
Ken Upham, Greater Manchester Police’s Crime Reduction Advisor,
Manchester Airport police station said: “This award represents over
three years of partnership work between GMP and Manchester Airport to tackle vehicle crime.
“The airport have willingly taken aboard our advice and have invested
substantial funds into reducing crime on the airport car parks. As the
figures show, their efforts have paid off with a significant drop in
vehicle crime.”
Assistant Chief Constable Steve Thomas, Greater Manchester Police said:
“This award goes to show that selecting and implementing the correct
security measures can help in the reduction of crime.
“We have worked closely with our associates at Manchester Airport and our
knowledge, together with their investment, has ensured a significant
decrease in crime and created a safer place for the public to park their
cars when visiting the complex.”
ACC Steve Thomas presented the award to Manchester Airport at a ceremony on Friday 8 July.
Source: http://www.manchesterairport.co.uk
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Safer Parking award from the British Parking Association
December 28, 2008
Westfield London, the capitals newest shopping centre, has been awarded a Safer Parking award from the British Parking Association (BPA) within its first six weeks of opening. Europes biggest inner city shopping and leisure destination received Park Mark status at a recent ceremony for providing a safe parking facility with 4,500 spaces.
| Car park manager, Gary Lee was presented with the Park Mark Award from Sector Inspector Paul Banbro of Hammersmith & Fulham Metropolitan Police Borough. PC David Hinton was also at the presentation. The team is directly responsible for the Policing of the Westfield London Shopping Centre.
The Safer Parking Scheme (SPS), run by the BPA for the Association of Chief Police Officers, was developed to provide a benchmark standard for all parking areas across the UK, to create safer parking both for the public and their vehicles. The Park Mark Safer Parking Award is granted to parking areas that have achieved the requirements of a risk assessment conducted by the Police. These requirements mean the parking operator has put in place measures that help to deter criminal activity and anti-social behaviour, thereby doing everything they can to prevent crime and reduce the fear of crime in their parking area. |
| Gary Lee said: We are delighted to receive Park Mark status in the opening weeks of the new centre. We are committed to the highest level of customer service, and with Christmas due to be our busiest time, it was vital to provide all our shoppers with a safe and reliable parking facility while they enjoy the new centre.
The shopping centre in Shepherds Bush has a vehicle management system to indicate parking availability and also offers a valet parking service for the convenience of its customers. Kelvin Reynolds, head of SPS at the British Parking Association, said: With the number of Park Mark awards on the increase – we now have over 3,700 members – it proves that the scheme is an invaluable tool in helping to make parking environments safe and increasing public reassurance in these areas. When drivers leave their cars in Park Mark award facilities they will find them exactly as they left them on their return.
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