It was described by one resident as "a very big problem".

Patients parking between 400 metres to 1 kilometre from the hospital, fines received for parking on lawns on the nearby road and concerns about the elderly and the unwell walking back to their cars.

Orange Hospital was redeveloped in 2011, but an initial shortage of car spots created almost seven years of stress for some locals.

"There were so many complaints," said Molong resident Steve Cassell.

"During the week, people were having to park more than 400 metres away at the golf club. If you're ill and need to get to the hospital, that's a very big problem."

Mr Cassell experienced it firsthand, having to visit the hospital several times for his own health problems.

With not enough spots at the hospital, patients were turning to the nearby golf course. ( ABC Central West )

He said he would arrive for appointments 20 minutes early and end up 20 minutes late because of difficulties parking. He also saw it as a former member of the Orange Ex-Services Golf Club.

"When I first suggested a multistorey carpark online, I was laughed off a forum," Mr Cassell said.

"People said, 'This is the country, there are plenty of places to park'.

"But then things got bad and people were having to park illegally and getting fines for visiting the hospital," he said.

The situation has since improved in Orange. An additional 150 spots are under construction and will be rolled out in two stages this year.

Fears of history repeating

But now, there are fears Goulburn will find itself in a similar situation.

The regional city is having its hospital redeveloped, which has prompted concerns about parking within the hospital, but also for surrounding residents and businesses.

The Goulburn-Mulwaree Council has been agitating for a multistorey carpark to ensure locals don't suffer as a result of the construction.

The redevelopment of the Goulburn Hospital has sparked parking concerns. ( ABC News )

The city's mayor, Bob Kirk, has previously expressed concerns about facing similar problems to Orange and has said in order to "future-proof" the hospital, planning has to happen now.

A spokeswoman for the body which plans and allocates hospital parking, Health Infrastructure, said long-term needs had been considered.

"Planning for the redevelopment has accounted for the increase in patients and staff to ensure that there will be enough parking available," she said.

Mr Kirk has also stressed construction work could inconvenience locals.

"You'll see all the onsite parking spaces no longer available to the hospital and those vehicles need to go out and park on the surrounding residential streets," he said.

"That's going to create a number of issues in relation to the adjacent high school, visitors to the hospital, but more particularly to the residents who live and work around the area."

There is no funding for multilevel parking in this year's state budget, but Mr Kirk said he hoped subsequent development stages would be funded.

A spokeswoman for Health Infrastructure said it was looking at solutions.

"Health Infrastructure is liaising with Goulburn-Mulwaree Council to optimise the traffic and parking solution in the surrounding precinct for hospital users, staff, residents and the community," the spokeswoman said.

Mr Kirk said timed parking was likely to be introduced. There is no suggestion of paid parking at the Goulburn Hospital.

Not an anomaly

The Wagga Wagga redevelopment is also squeezing local parking. ( ABC Riverina: Lauren Pezet )

The perception that 'there are plenty of places to park in the country' has plagued several regional cities, including Wagga Wagga, Bathurst and Dubbo.

In Wagga Wagga, the redevelopment of the public hospital is putting pressure on parking in the broader health precinct, which also includes a private hospital, days surgeries and specialists.

Rick Gray copped a $100 fine after travelling nearly two hours from Coleambally and overstaying a two-hour car park spot while he attended multiple pre-operation appointments for a knee replacement.

"Two hours was the best I could find and closest to where we had to go because otherwise I would have to walk too far and I can't do that," he said.

Mr Gray said his request to have the fine waived was denied, and when he tried to get a special pass to allow him to park for longer the next time he visited, he was told that option is only available to families with small children.

"We were parked in a two hour parking zone and my wife had to go back and shift the car. It was a pain in the bum."

The Wagga Wagga Base Hospital Director Helen Cooper said there would be 100 additional car spaces in stage three of the redevelopment.

"This is on top of the additional 440 car parking spaces provided during stage two of the redevelopment," she said.

A shortage of car parking spaces has been an issue at several regional hospitals. ( ABC )

"However, because the safety of our patients, visitors, and staff is paramount, we will always look at ways to provide more options for car parking."

Ms Cooper added that four years ago the hospital introduced a shuttle bus service for employees on the afternoon shift that takes them to their cars parked in the streets around the health campus.

The local council is also investigating ways to improve parking in the area as part of its master plan for the broader health precinct.

Wagga Wagga City Council's manager of city strategy, Tristan Kell, said the draft would be finished in the coming months.

"We're looking at how the public hospital interacts with the private hospital, but also all the ancillary services and what the parking demands [are] and the broader network," he said.

"So how we improve pedestrian safety, traffic flows and off-street parking, and also how you cater for on-street parking."

Mr Kell said the council was also working closely with the project managers on stage three of the redevelopment to ensure trade workers were not parking within the precinct unnecessarily.

'No magic fix'

Across regional NSW, questions have been raised about why hospital parking shortages are addressed retrospectively, rather than accounted for in initial planning.

Health Infrastructure's spokeswoman said it worked with councils, health workers and community groups to work out how many spots were needed.

Then the reins are handed over to local government health services, which manage the demand thereafter.

"Post-development, the Local Health District will continue to assess car parking requirements, depending on the evolving needs of the site," the Health Infrastructure spokeswoman said.

For Goulburn, Mr Kirk said it's a matter of working with what they've got.

"There's no magic fix that's going to provide an answer to everybody's concerns," he said.

"We need the hospital upgrade and we've got to find a way to work in with it."