Parking near Royal Oldham an ‘absolute nightmare’

Parking near Royal Oldham Hospital has been labelled an “absolute nightmare” with people saying they struggle to leave the house as cars take over the pavement.

One man, who says he was issued a parking fine while visiting his dying dad, said the current situation was ‘leaving families very distraught’. Earlier this year, it was revealed over 4,000 fines were dished out between 2024 and 2025 at Royal Oldham Hospital by the Northern Care Alliance NHS Foundation Trust (NCA) and 2,133 warning notices were issued.

The NCA data showed £838,000 was generated at the hospital from charges and fines.

This money goes back into the NHS but it was also revealed almost one in three people who appealed their fines were successful. Now campaigners are lobbying for major changes to be made after it was discovered another hospital trust in Greater Manchester issued no fines over the same period.

Dr Zahid Chauhan OBE, a GP and Labour Alexandra councillor, said Oldham was running ‘a system that penalises patients and staff’ compared to ‘the gold standard’ at The Christie NHS Foundation Trust where zero fines or warning notices were issued. He and other campaigners are calling on the government ‘to take action to address what is increasingly becoming a postcode lottery’.

He said: “It’s shocking but also reassuring because we can see things can be done in a different way. What we needed to prove to the public and stakeholders is there is no reason things are this way. It’s not that we are asking for something new that has never been done before.”

Dr Chauhan said people told him they had missed appointments after struggling to find a space or even left in tears. However one junior doctor, who parks on the street, said: “I don’t mind it because I get my steps in.”

Many have called for changes to be made to tackle the problem. One mum, who said she was fined when taking her sick son to A&E, said: “People only go to hospital if they need to be in hospital. To fine people for that, it’s like kicking people when they are down.”

Tanveer Tariq was fined in December 2025 despite paying for a ticket and parking somewhere he thought was appropriate. He’d been told to visit the hospital when his late dad, Tariq Mahmood, was receiving end of life care.

Days later, a fine came through the post but because he paid for a ticket, Tanveer has refused to pay and now faces being taken to court. He said : “I couldn’t find a parking space. It was end of life. I had to be at his bedside.

He said: “It’s that ridiculous some people are parking on double yellow lines. I am pretty sure there have been cases where ambulances can’t get out because cars are parked on either side.

“Some of their staff have to park a mile away where they have to walk to work. I have seen it with my own eyes.

“Some of the doctors have to park in residential areas and walk down. It’s frustrating and it doesn’t leave a good feeling with the health service when it’s struggling. When you have got all this going on, parking’s the last thing you want to think about.”

For those around Campania, Crossley, and Britton streets, the shortage of parking at the hospital is pushing the problems outside their front door. Steven Shepherd said they had previously tried to get a petition going for a residential parking scheme but this request was refused by the council.

Anne Wells-Bourne said the parking problems were not all down to hospital staff, but told the LDRS: “It’s a nightmare, an absolute nightmare.” Because of pavement parking issues, she said her husband who uses a wheelchair struggled to leave the house.

She said: “It’s hard work but nobody cares. It’s been going on for ages. If you want a big car, get a big house”, adding: “The council wouldn’t put in permit parking because the problem would move elsewhere.

“You can’t keep saying that. You need to do something. I just can’t understand it. I was born here. I know how much it has changed. Raise the curb so they can’t park there.”

The Royal Oldham Hospital Parking campaign is calling for a more supportive approach and proposes a multi-storey car park in the future to increase capacity. Currently there are a number of commercial car parks in the nearby area and work is being carried out by Transport for Greater Manchester to improve the 409 bus route.

Nadine Armitage, director of estates, facilities and capital development at the Northern Care Alliance NHS Foundation Trust, which runs The Royal Oldham Hospital, said: “We recognise that parking can be challenging during busy periods and we are continually looking at ways to improve access for our patients, visitors and colleagues.

“Parking enforcement is in operation and vehicles in breach of parking conditions, which are shown with signage and road markings, may be issued with a parking charge notice (PCN). Any income from PCNs is used to offset the costs associated with operating and maintaining our car parks.

“We are continuing with existing work to support staff travel and reduce congestion across our sites, including measures such as lift-sharing schemes, sustainable travel options and flexible working where appropriate.”
An Oldham Council spokesperson said: “We are aware that parking pressures linked to busy sites such as Royal Oldham Hospital can affect a number of nearby streets.

“We are working with health partners and other organisations to look at longer-term ways to improve parking at the hospital and ensuring arrangements better meet the needs of people using the site.”

 

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