A NSW mother has been hit with a $140 parking fine after spending more than four hours in a hospital emergency department with her injured teenage daughter.
Bridget Shadforth, a 47-year-old stay-at-home mum from the Shoalhaven region, received the fine after taking her 13-year-old daughter to Shoalhaven Memorial Hospital on March 23 with a fractured foot.
Shadforth said she parked in a nearby two-hour zone because the hospital’s free car park was too far away for her daughter, who was unable to walk after fracturing her foot in three places.
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She said she had planned to move the car before the two-hour limit expired but, when the time came, she couldn’t bring herself to leave her daughter alone.
“I knew I had to move the car but I wasn’t in a position where I could,” Shadforth told 7NEWS.com.au.
“I got a ticket for overstaying and it was $140.
“It’s just frustrating because I had no choice. I can’t leave my daughter unattended.”
Shadforth received the fine while accompanying her daughter to hospital. Credit: Bridget Shadforth
The infringement notice shows the offence was detected at 1.01pm, about four hours after Shadforth arrived at the hospital about 9am.
“I was cranky and frustrated, both in myself and also the fact that it happened,” she said.
“I couldn’t leave my daughter in the drop-off zone because she couldn’t stand, and I didn’t want to leave her in a position where she might be feeling uncomfortable or in danger.”
Shadforth described the two-hour parking limits near the hospital entrance as “ridiculous”.
“People are parking there because they’ve got a need to. They’re not going to the hospital for fun,” she said.
“You come out the other side with a parking ticket. I just think that’s a bit rich, really.”
The parking infringement notice shows the offence was detected at 1.01pm. Credit: Bridget Shadforth
Shadforth, who is raising two children on her own after losing her husband to cancer, said the cost-of-living crisis made the fine even harder to stomach.
She said she believed hospital parking policies should better reflect the reality faced by patients and their families during emergencies.
“If you’re in a situation where you’ve got somebody who is immobile or struggling, and they just need to get inside, maybe just remove the times from those parking areas so that, if somebody does end up staying there, you don’t have to stress that you’re going to get that parking ticket,” she said.
Despite believing the fine was unfair, Shadforth said she paid it because it was “just easier” rather than trying to obtain supporting documentation from hospital staff to challenge it.
“Anyway, as frustrating as it is, it was more important for me to stay with my daughter in that moment,” she said.
Shadforth said her daughter fractured her foot in three places. Credit: Bridget Shadforth
In response to 7NEWS.com.au, Shoalhaven City Council said the time limits were designed to encourage turnover and ensure parking spots were available for other people who needed them.
“These limits ensure there is frequent turnover of parking and that hospital visitors, patients and carers are able to access parking spaces throughout the day,” a spokesperson said.
The council said free parking was available in the hospital’s multi-storey carpark, along Scenic Drive, at the nearby Grand Pacific Health Centre and at Nowra Showground, about a 10-minute walk from the hospital.
It added that motorists can appeal parking infringement notices to Revenue NSW, which determines whether a fine should be withdrawn based on individual circumstances.
Hospital parking dilemma
Shadforth’s experience is far from unique.
While some NSW hospitals offer free parking, others charge patients, visitors and even staff — with fees varying across the state.
Even at hospitals with free parking, such as Shoalhaven Memorial Hospital, patients and visitors may need to use timed street parking if nearby spaces are unavailable or unsuitable.
The parking infringement notice shows the offence was detected at 1.01pm. Credit: Bridget Shadforth
A Liverpool Hospital staff member, who asked not to be identified, said hospital workers also faced parking challenges.
She told 7NEWS.com.au many staff park at Westfield Liverpool, about 800m from the hospital, where all-day parking costs $10.
To avoid the daily fee, she usually parks on nearby streets instead but finding a free space can take so long it sometimes makes her late for work.
She believes parking should be free for hospital staff, but not necessarily for patients.
“Otherwise anyone will park their cars there and go to work elsewhere and then there would never be parking available,” she said.
According to the NSW Health Annual Report 2024-2025, hospital parking generated more than $87 million in revenue during the financial year.
NSW Health told 7NEWS.com.au every dollar received from hospital parking fees was reinvested into health services and facilities.
“Car parking fees help hospitals manage demand and maximise access for staff, patients, carers and visitors,” it said.
NSW Health said it also provided heavily subsidised concessional parking rates for eligible patients and carers and recognised the burden long-term hospital treatment could place on families.
The NSW Government made parking free at regional hospitals in 2023, while staff at metropolitan hospitals receive subsidised parking rates.
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