The Hospital Test
As I travel around the country, I like to apply the hospital test to all of the places I visit.
Imagine, that a friend or relative has been taken ill or had an accident and is in the local hospital!
By going to the local main station or airport, can you get to that hospital easily using information available there?
Some hospitals are easy to do the last link, but for others, the information is sadly lacking.
I’ve just looked up Barnet Hospital, where both my in-laws died. I did find the nearest station and bus information on the web site, but it wasn’t on a front page link, as it seemed to assume most will drive. On the Transport for London web site, I did find a spider map for the buses to and from the hospital. But not in every case, will I have such good local knowledge!
Incidentally, it seems that most London hospitals have their own spider maps showing all buses around the hospital. The only one I can’t find is one for University College Hospital.
How does your local hospital stack up?
Remember a high proportion of visitors will not be in the first flush of youth and many will have mobility and eyesight problems.
The Anonymous Widower 
In Manchester there are signposts at road junctions, however a while ago some inconsiderate people deciding (I suspect drunken students in Freshers week) decided to turn them around.
Comment by nosnikrapzil | September 28, 2013 |
Were the signs for drivers or pedestriains/
Comment by AnonW | September 28, 2013 |
Those particular ones were for drivers. However, there are signposts for pedestrians in city centre, although Arndale is difficult to find your way around. I mostly shop at either Trafford Centre or various other malls, and of course after living here for 25 years and knowing how to get to the various hospitals, I havent really noticed whether they are signposted or not.
Comment by nosnikrapzil | September 29, 2013 |
Manchester in my view is not a good city to walk around. Getting buses from the city centre is also very difficult, as you generally have to walk to Piccadilly Gardens, where the maps are graffitied and pretty useless. Manchester definitely needs a mayor with responsibility for transport. You can see what Ken and Boris have done for London with two entry buses, that tell you where they are, maps at every bus stop, spider maps and now we’ve got Legible London walking maps. You can’t play a party political point, as the ideas have kept being implemented no matter who’s the mayor. Central government should make all conurbations have an elected mayor or transport commissioner, who is responsible for every form of transport in the area.
Comment by AnonW | September 29, 2013 |