ESTABLISHED 1885 southcoastregister.com.au MONDAY, MAY 21, 2012 PRICE $1.60 Includes GST Proudly serving the local community for over 125 years HOT STUFF WHIZ KID BRENDAN SHEDS HIS NIKKI MAKES HER SHIRT FOR A CAUSE MARK ON THE WORLD ISPAGE 12 THIS A SICKPAGE 5 JOKE? May 21 Long-awaited 2012 Year in Review – AFTER waiting six years for a larger car park car park not suitable for at Shoalhaven Hospital the community had wheelchairs By ADAM WRIGHT to wait again for it to be accessible for A DESIGN flaw at the Shoalhaven hospital car park extension, for which the community waited six years, has made it almost impossible for people in wheelchairs to negotiate. The footpath running parallel to one section of people in wheelchairs. the Scenic Drive car park is not wide enough for two wheelchairs to pass each other. It is also made impassable for even one wheel- chair when car bumpers cover half the path. “This is ridiculous, there’s not one disabled space The footpath running parallel to one up this end of the car park,” said Leith Hamilton from Shoalhaven Heads. Mr Hamilton has been in a wheelchair his entire life due to spina bifida. He pointed out a few access issues with the southern end of the Scenic Drive car park. section of the Scenic Drive car park was not “There’s no disabled parking space. I would have thought there would have been one or two, so I had to park in a normal spot which means if someone parks next to me while I’m away, I won’t be able to get back into my car when I return. wide enough for people in wheelchairs to “Another pretty major problem is there are no ramps so that I can get my wheelchair up onto the He had a degenerative motor neurone disease than this,” he said. ACCESS NO AREAS: footpath. I have to use the road. and was confined to a chair about a year ago. Health Infrastructure project director Amanda Alex Mazik from Berry “I’m not sure what they have planned as far as “I had one look down that path and said I can’t Bock said the department was aware of the prob- and Leith Hamilton access goes up here but I would have thought it use it, I had to use the road,” he said. lem and moves were in place to rectify the issues. from Shoalhaven negotiate. would be easier to build ramps in when they were “Until I got in this chair a year ago I did not “We have ordered wheel stops so that cars’ Heads find it making the path, not try to put them in afterwards. realise how poorly we treat people in wheel- bumper bars won’t protrude over the footpath. impossible to access “It says to me that they’re not even thinking about chairs. “We wanted to open the car park as soon as we the hospital from the people in wheelchairs when they built this, which “This car park is a classic example. could rather than delay opening it while we wait- is pretty bad considering it is a hospital and there “Another example was when I went to go shop- ed for the wheel stops to arrive. Scenic Drive section of Whether it was down to the late arrival will be people with wheelchairs coming here often. ping with my son in Nowra recently. “The car park is fully compliant how it is. the new car park. “Wheelchair access should be an automatic “I had to wait outside most of the shops and the “We did check into parking accessibility over part of the design, it’s a no-brainer that it would few where I could get into there wasn’t enough the entire hospital site and found there was a suf- be required at a hospital,” he said. space to move around anyway. ficient number of accessible car parks including of wheel stops, or whether they were an Alex Mazik from Berry also uses a wheelchair. “We’ve got to start looking after people better two outside the front door,” she said. oversight, residents brought it to the and all for less than the price of a cuppa attention of local media and the problem Your news anywhere, anytime. SUBSCRIBE TODAY - visit www.southcoastregister.com.au/eedition 2262742 was quickly resolved. PPHONEE:: 44442121 99123123 MAIAIL:L: PPOO BoBoxx 106106 NNowowrara 25425411 EMEMAAIL:IL: CLLASASSIFSIFIEIEDDSS 44244211 91091000 LikeLike usus onon FFoollolloww uuss FAFAXX:: EdEditoitoriariall 44442121 91911111 ADADDDRREESSS:S: 121222 KKininghghoornrnee StStreereet,t, NNowowrara maail.scil.scregisteregister@[email protected] cclalassssifieifiedds.scs.screreggisisteter@[email protected] facebookfacebook @ SCSCRRegegisisterter ESTABLISHED 1885 TOP PRIZE: Baker John Reminis with the gold southcoastregister.com.au WEDNESDAY,MAY 30, 2012 PRICE $1.60 Includes GST trophy for baking Australia’s Best Pie. Proudly serving the local community for over 125 years RIVER WATCHERS DOWN TO A TEA THE FUTURE OF EVENT STUDENTS OUR RESERVES SHOW FINESSE May 30 PAGE 3 PAGE 8 85 ESTABLISHED 18 AN alternative to the North Nowra link Five-lane solution s GST 0 Include E $1.6 But North Nowra residents continue to call for link road PRIC road proposal was revealed in late May. By ADAM WRIGHT and GLENN ELLARD 12 May 2 0 AY 2, 2 DAY,M ars EDNES r 125 ye NORTH Nowra residents have continued pushing for W r ove the link road to Bomaderry as another plan to ease munity fo al com pressure on traffic is unveiled. g the loc servin The plan to widen the troubled road near the .au udly The plan to widen the troubled road om Pro Princes Highway intersection was announced yester- tregister.c ALL but three of Shoalhaven’s nine ambulances day by Shoalhaven Action Campaign members oas southc standing for the September Shoalhaven City Council THAR SHE BLOWS election. While the idea to create a separate left-turn lane for north-bound traffic off Illaroo Road gained support, WHALES MAKE residents said they were more interested in seeing the WAY NORTH were tied up due to bed block at Shoalhaven near the Princes Highway intersection link road go ahead. Star-Jade Reed said with the area continuing to grow THEIR the North Nowra link road was the only real solution. TANKER CRASH Her family has lived on Illaroo Road since the 1960s TRAPPED PAGE 9 and like many residents she has adjusted her life DRIVER around the traffic. was announced by Shoalhaven Action “In the short term this idea seems like it could help TWO HOURS District Memorial Hospital at the end of April but I think the link road is the only way to reduce traf- FOR fic at the intersection to something manageable,” she said PAGE 3 Her father, Peter Laverty, whose family has lived on Illaroo Road for 70 years, said North Nowra had com- pletely outgrown the road. Campaign members standing for the “I’ve read reports that say the amount of traffic on and again in May. this road is three times what it should be,” he said. “This new intersection proposal is not a good idea from my point of view. “My biggest concern is the amount of traffic on the road and getting traffic off this road. “It is so dangerous trying to get in and out of our Bed block occurs when a hospital does not September Council election. However driveway. NOT ENOUGH BEDS “I think another lane could lead to more accidents.” Continued PAGE3 CONGESTED: Star-Jade Reed,with children Amelia and Peter, lives close to the bottom of Illaroo Road, and has witnessed What the residents say... p2 have any beds left to offer patients arriving in the idea was shouted down by residents the increasing traffic congestion at the intersection. Thinking of retiring an ambulance. Those patients are cared for on as a stop gap measure rather than a and planning ahead? For your free pre-planning kit permanent solution to the troubled Call times waits for less urgent presentations are the ambulance stretcher in the hospital’s car ent,” the unavoidable. ergency departm “The most seriously ill patients are always Wray Owen the priority and whether patients arrive by walk-ins to the em ambulance or present to the emergency Funeral Plans spokesperson said. department, all are triaged accordingly.” “The recent cold weather has seen an 0 at senting to the emer- The spokesperson withsaid the ambulanceIllawarra 0 intersection. 93 increase in the number of patients with breached many times over on Monday. Shoalhaven Local Health District (ISLHD) 4423 2333 6 lem is not unique to regional areas park. 22 The prob chronic conditions pre was in regular discussion gency department, many of these cases Monday:T six of the region’sand it’s not the first nine time berit had ambulances26 occurred last year caught in a hospitalservice regarding log initiatives jam to improve PPHOONNEE:: 44442211 99112323 MAILAIL:: PPO BBooxx 101066 NNowowrara 25254411 EMEMAAIL:IL: CLLAASSSSIFIFIEIEDDSS 44424211 91091000 LikeLike uuss oonn FFoollollow uuss WRIGH en. require complex treatment plans. facebookfacebook By ADAM nine ambu- Shoalhav ay, Septem “During busy periods, emergency depart- patient offload times. FAFAXX:: EdEditoitoriariall 44442211 91911111 AADDDDRERESSSS:: 121222 KKiningghhornornee StrStreeeet,t, Nowowrara maiail.sl.scregcregisisteter@[email protected] clclasasssifieifieddss.scre.screggisteister@[email protected] @ SSCRRegegisisteterr lock at On Mond ISLHD reminded residents that a free health ment staff execute a specialist escalation plan ation telephone line was availablegistered for Shoalhaven’s entire ambulanceKiama, was fleetparked of nineout- inform ALL but three of Shoalhaven’s to minimise waiting times for patients and ho needed advice on health condi- cars, plus one enfrom Hospital for more than an lose consultation with their anyone w lances were tied up due to bed b ambulances.ork in c tions.