A PARK and ride stop to cater for staff and patients at Colchester General Hospital would help hundreds of people every day.

Of that, there is no question.

The hospital has perpetually struggled to cope with the number of people using cars to get there.

It leads to clogged up entrances to the hospital and queues onto Turner Road.

We know hospital bosses are doing all they can to help – a new car park is nearing completion with room for hundreds more cars.

But many services are moving from Essex County Hospital next year and that means thousands more patients will be making their way to Turner Road.

To the vast majority of residents, it’s a no-brainer.

The park and ride has somewhat grinded to a start, though it is only a very short time into its life, and hospital workers and visitors would be guaranteed passengers.

The hospital’s workforce would benefit with shorter journey times and we’d have fewer cars on our town’s roads. Unfortunately, there appears to be an element of brinkmanship going on.

Hospital bosses might be prepared to wait until the park and ride is desperate for its custom, while the county council is happy to hold off until the hospital comes up with a decent offer.

What the rest of Colchester wants, and needs, is for the two parties to get around a table and thrash out a deal.