Calls are being made to create dedicated extra free parking for under pressure nurses and other medical staff at the region's largest hospital.
Mike Sands, Labour city and county councillor for Bowthorpe, said doctors working at the Norfolk and Norwich University Hospital (NNUH) told him nurses are parking in residential streets in the Three Score area and walking to the hospital to avoid paying "exorbitant" charges.
Mr Sands said some areas including Dodderman Way and the Southern Park car park in Three Score Road - both a 25-minute walk from the hospital - are well-used areas to park in and he feared for workers' safety if they walked in the dark.
He said: "Nurses work funny shifts and overtime and public transport isn't always there. They need cars to get to work.
"It is time we did something to help. It should be free parking. There is an enormous shortage of nurses and the country's hospitals would grind to a halt without them."
He added there appeared to be unused car parking spaces near the Quadram Institute which could be dedicated for nurses who were experiencing "depleted pay".
Teresa Budrey, Royal College of Nursing (RCN) eastern regional director, said: “It is vital employers work with nursing staff to support affordable, safe and sustainable travel.
“With the cost of living rising, the price of parking and travel must be considered as the RCN continues to campaign against unfair pay. Despite this year's pay award for NHS staff, experienced nurses are worse off by 20pc due to successive below-inflation awards since 2010.
“The shifts worked by nursing staff mean they often start or finish work in hours of darkness. Employers need to consider the safety of staff."
A NNUH spokeswoman said: “We are involving staff in our review of our travel plan to ensure that in addition to the free parking already provided to staff at night and weekends we maximise use of the finite number of spaces we have on site and that those spaces are allocated fairly.
”We run a free park and ride service for staff from Costessey and are exploring plans for an additional park and ride service from Thickthorn with the county council and bus providers."
Comments: Our rules
We want our comments to be a lively and valuable part of our community - a place where readers can debate and engage with the most important local issues. The ability to comment on our stories is a privilege, not a right, however, and that privilege may be withdrawn if it is abused or misused.
Please report any comments that break our rules.
Read the rules here