Traffic and parking the big questions over Shoalhaven Hospital redevelopment

The informal pop-up event for residents who live around the precinct on Wednesday afternoon was aimed at providing them with a snapshot of the project.

It wasn't the loss of some of the historic Nowra Park to the new development, the height of the new hospital, even the noise of helicopters coming and going at all hours of the night.

Without doubt, the biggest issues and the most questions being asked by residents present, was about traffic movement and parking.

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"How are they going to manage it?" said Shoalhaven Street resident Suzanne Delaney.

"It's horrific now. What's it going to be like with a bigger hospital and more staff?

"Where are they all going to park?"

At the moment Mrs Delaney said staff, instead of parking in the $11.8 million multi-storey car park (which is free to park in at the moment due to COVID and costs $3 per day for staff or a maximum of $12 per week when charges apply), staff park in the adjacent streets around the hospital precinct.

Often leaving the multi-level carpark only partially filled.

"It's horrendous to try and get out," Mrs Delaney said.

"Cars are parked right on your driveway and you can't see past them - you have to take the chance and put your nose out to see and hope nothing is coming.

"It's especially hard with some of the bigger four-wheel drive vehicles."

Mrs Delaney, who visits a local nursing home a number of times a week, said she has even reverted to parking her car out on the street earlier in the morning, just to make it easier to get in and out.

"Mind you when you go and then come back your park is often gone," she said.

She said she's asked staff why they don't park in the multi-storey car park and has been told some, especially those with bigger four-wheel drives, "the access in and out of the car park is too tight".

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A fact Shoalhaven Hospital general manager Craig Hamer conceded during the pop-up event.

"Yes, we have been told that there is an issue with some of the bigger four-wheel drive vehicles getting in and out of the car park," he said.

"It can be done but it is tight in places."

Unfortunately, he said there is no scope to be able to widen those access ramp areas.

North Street resident Val Houldsworth faces a similar situation, saying coming out of your driveway "you sometimes take your life into your own hands".

"There are just cars parked everywhere and you can't see either way."

Her husband Tom said local residents have even reverted to going out early in the mornings to meet the garbage trucks to ensure they can get their bins emptied.

It is a daily occurrence to see North and Shoalhaven streets, adjacent to the hospital full of parked cars, while nearby Hyam Street, Mandalay Avenue and Colyer Avenue are often also full of cars.

Quite often Colyer and Mandalay avenues are reduced to single lanes due to the number of parked cars.

One of the residents said there was an instance about six weeks ago when Fire and Rescue NSW was forced to take an alternate route to get to a house fire in Scenic Drive, adjacent to the Shoalhaven River, as it could not fit the engine down the remaining single lane of Mandalay Avenue.

Traffic studies for the proposed redevelopment still have to be undertaken, with traffic movements around the hospital precinct one of the topics that will be discussed by Transport for NSW, traffic engineers and Shoalhaven City Council.

One suggestion put forward by residents was for two-hour parking limits in the streets surrounding the hospital, with another option possibly being restricting parking to only one side of the street.