Hospital visitors have been urged to leave the car at home and take the bus to Aberdeen Royal Infirmary to reduce the pressure on the site’s busy car park.
NHS Grampian and the transport partnership Nestrans have come together to produce a leaflet highlighting all the bus routes that go to ARI.
The car park at Foresterhill has 2,500 car parking spaces available, and on a typical weekday some 11,00 vehicles visit the site.
The leaflet seeks to alleviate the pressure on the car park by detailing the 53 buses arrive at the interchange outside of ARI every hour from across the north-east, as well as the free shuttle bus service that travels from ARI to other locations such as Woodend Hospital, Summerfield House, Cornhill Hospital and Frederick Street Health Village.
And for those that don’t have a direct bus route to the hospital, the leaflet also identifies interchange locations to get to Foresterhill from the city centre.
GP surgeries, healthcare facilities and council offices are just some of the locations the leaflets have been distributed to, as well as being available on the NHS Grampian, Nestran, and Aberdeen City and Shire council websites.
Aberdeenshire councillor and chair of Nestrans Peter Argyle said: “The aim of this leaflet is to highlight how well the hospital is served by public transport across the region. We hope this will encourage staff, patients and visitors to think about the public transport options available to them”
NHS Grampian deputy general manager of facilities and estates Paul Allen said: “For some years we have worked closely with our colleagues in Nestrans, the local authority and bus operators promote alternatives to private cars.
“The site is well served by public transport and anyone who can use these services should consider doing so to ensure guaranteed access to the site”