Residents’ anger at ‘dangerous parking behaviours’ of cancer centre construction workers

More than 200 Cardiff residents signed a petition demanding that Sacyr, the construction company building the new Velindre Cancer Centre in the city’s Whitchurch district, take firmer action against the workers.

Nation.Cymru first reported the concerns in August, but locals say the problems have persisted.

One resident, who did not wish to be named, said: “The situation has got worse. These are the kinds of things that are happening: unbroken double parking on a blind bend, on occasion forcing illegal reversing into a main road by incoming drivers; parking close to driveways, rendering access and exit unsafe; parking in a way that has more than once blocked the council refuse lorry, a hazard also in the event of a fire engine call-out; parking on pavements, forcing pedestrians to walk in the one remaining traffic lane.

“None of these incidents have been denied. The conduct of a ‘drop-in’ meeting organised by Sacyr has deepened the sense of company control rather than honest consultation. Petition supporters mainly had to sit through a long speech from the company’s engagement manager, thus squeezing any time left for community interaction. Some said it reminded them of being in school and felt they were given little chance to express themselves on anything.

“Several attendees have referred to a troubling moment when Sacyr’s representative intervened. The target was a suggestion that Sacyr was ‘in breach of contract’ for failure to act against subcontractors ignoring the company’s directive not to park on residential streets. The response felt ominous in tone, warning that this was ‘a very serious allegation’. Some are asking if this is the way Sacyr always works with the community.

“WhatsApp groups have encountered company claims that driver misdeeds are down to a small minority of the 700-plus workers on the site. But this making light of problems has not cut through because of plain evidence in personal experience.

“Sacyr claimed to one resident that only a single Sacyr worker could apparently be identified from photos of cars sent in to them. Yet the pictures were taken after a surge of cars arrived suddenly one morning, with drivers spilling out and plainly bound for the same building site across the road. Some were even putting on gear. Such vehicle density was quite unknown before this phase of the construction.

“The claim sometimes heard from Sacyr that 40 workers have already been sanctioned has not been greeted with much relief. This is because residents and a local politician have commented on the lack of transparency around such reported sanctions. What penalties resulted? Is there repeat offending, and what penalties does that level of infringement incur? In what street was the driver found parking?

“We have experienced blocked access for care services for housebound, elderly or ill people, vehicles needing entry for maintaining essential public services, trade services in vans and delivery drivers, together with the risk to pedestrians passing through at the tight, blind bend.”

Conscientious

Another resident said: “It’s not a problem of nimbyism. It is about the need for Sacyr to be taking on only workers and subcontractors who are conscientious about everything they do near or on the worksite, supported by an unambiguously ample provision of suitable parking and shuttle facilities. But also with traffic officer-led monitoring on all nearby streets for the key hour every day to discharge its own policy.

“If the offenders against the company’s parking rules are as few as claimed, it should be easy to isolate and identify them when they show up as not registered for official parking centres. Then they can be recognised when monitoring takes place. The claim that Sacyr doesn’t have the resources to do this is unworthy of a company with a net profit for shareholders this year of $78m.

“But also it is the company’s responsibility to do this, no one else’s, and it should not be looking to private detective work and photographs from people busy heading out to their own place of work, often disillusioned with company responses to evidence already provided.”

Disruption

A spokesperson for Velindre University NHS Trust said: “We acknowledge the concerns raised by residents about parking and driver behaviour associated with construction of the new Velindre Cancer Centre, and the disruption such incidents can cause. Although the vast majority of the more than 750 staff working on the site comply with the required parking and travel arrangements, we recognise that the actions of a small number can have an impact on the local community.

“We raise concerns received promptly with Sacyr, our construction partner, which is responsible for managing its workforce and supply chain’s compliance with the agreed parking and travel arrangements. Nonetheless, as an additional mitigation measure, Sacyr will carry out ad hoc local monitoring and reinforce the requirements with those working on the site. They will continue to monitor the effectiveness of these measures with the aim of addressing concerns and minimising avoidable disruption.

“The recent drop-in generated several questions from the community, and they remain a consistent and transparent point of engagement where residents ask questions and discuss updates on the nVCC development.”