dslreports logo
 
    All Forums Hot Topics Gallery
spc
uniqs
48

urbanriot
Premium Member
join:2004-10-18
Canada

urbanriot to MichelR

Premium Member

to MichelR

Re: [Serious] Hospital parking rates a 'tax' on sick Canadians

said by lugnut :

I 100% agree with this article.

I also agree, for the same reasons. I was visiting a friend at a hospital in Toronto that posted a 'daily maximum' rate of $15, but they had some additional bullshit fees that wound up costing me about $26. Visiting my friend twice on the weekend cost me $52 for parking and this agitated the shit out of me.
said by MichelR:

While I agree that this can add up quickly, what would the solution be? Divert healthcare money to maintain the parking lots? The money will have to come from somewhere.

Well I'm assuming these hospitals in question don't own the lots? Or do they own the lots and this is how they make additional cash?

I'm waiting to see what the new hospital here in Niagara is going to cost. It wasn't even open yet and the parking lot was full... front page story in the newspaper that they should have made more parking spots. Duh.
MichelR
join:2011-07-03
Trois-Rivieres, QC

MichelR

Member

said by urbanriot:

Well I'm assuming these hospitals in question don't own the lots? Or do they own the lots and this is how they make additional cash?

The only hospital I've had to park at had a relatively reasonable rate (note that this was a while ago - don't know about now). They had a sign saying the parking fees went to patient care (something like that - like I said, been a while). Pretty sure the owned the lot. The worst thing would be for them not to own it. Around here the feds offloaded the employee lots to the private sector and the parking fees nearly tripled (in my boss' case, it went up 500%).

DKS
Damn Kidney Stones

join:2001-03-22
Owen Sound, ON

DKS to urbanriot

to urbanriot
said by urbanriot:

Well I'm assuming these hospitals in question don't own the lots? Or do they own the lots and this is how they make additional cash?

The hospitals in question with the usurious parking rates own their physical parking lot and contract lot management to an outside company. In those cases, the operating costs are deducted from the parking fees and the rest goes to the hospital.

In most smaller hospitals, parking is simply another part of building maintenance or building security and is not contracted out. The operating expenses are much less and folded into the operating cost of the hospital.
vintagewino
join:2003-07-22
Grimsby, ON

vintagewino to urbanriot

Member

to urbanriot
said by urbanriot:

Well I'm assuming these hospitals in question don't own the lots? Or do they own the lots and this is how they make additional cash?

I'm waiting to see what the new hospital here in Niagara is going to cost. It wasn't even open yet and the parking lot was full... front page story in the newspaper that they should have made more parking spots. Duh.


Was over a couple of days ago at the new "super hospital" on 4th. $2/30 minutes to a maximum of $8 for 12 hours. Looks like no in/out privileges, unless you get the $40/week pass. That seems standard for Niagara Health.

Hamilton Health Sciences something like $3.50 per 30 minutes or part, to a maximum of $15 for 24 hour period. Again, no in.out privileges. You can get a 2 week unlimited pass for something like $54 for ONE hospital.

And then there's Toronto ....

Back about 15 years ago, I was told that at $1/entry, the lot at that particular private clinic made money.

Gone
Premium Member
join:2011-01-24
Fort Erie, ON

Gone to urbanriot

Premium Member

to urbanriot
said by urbanriot:

I'm waiting to see what the new hospital here in Niagara is going to cost. It wasn't even open yet and the parking lot was full... front page story in the newspaper that they should have made more parking spots. Duh.

$8 for 12 hours, $2 more than all the other hospitals.

When my son was born and in the hospital for two weeks being severely ill it cost us $70 to park at Welland County General, and that was with a special pass. Infuriated the fuck out of me, especially it was a 40 minute drive back and forth to the hospital because they closed the one we have here town. This bullshit needs to stop.
vintagewino
join:2003-07-22
Grimsby, ON

vintagewino

Member

said by Gone:

$8 for 12 hours, $2 more than all the other hospitals.

When my son was born and in the hospital for two weeks being severely ill it cost us $70 to park at Welland County General. Infuriated the fuck out of me. This bullshit needs to stop.


Looks like prices went up just recently, too. See »www.niagarahealth.on.ca/ ··· ormation Parking is ~ 2/3 of the way down. As I remember, parking around the Welland hospital is a royal pain. No parking signs everywhere on the streets in the vicinity of the hospital. The new hospital on 4th St. isn't any better. Have to park at the mall by Wal-Mart & walk over if you want "free parking".

Gone
Premium Member
join:2011-01-24
Fort Erie, ON

Gone

Premium Member

said by vintagewino:

Looks like prices went up just recently, too. See »www.niagarahealth.on.ca/ ··· ormation Parking is ~ 2/3 of the way down. As I remember, parking around the Welland hospital is a royal pain. No parking signs everywhere on the streets in the vicinity of the hospital. The new hospital on 4th St. isn't any better. Have to park at the mall by Wal-Mart & walk over if you want "free parking".

They upped them at all hospitals. Figures.

Yeah, the old General and Hotel Dieu were nice because there was on-street parking that was free after 6PM. I *never* paid for parking anytime I needed to go to the ER or Urgent Care. With DMH here in Fort Erie you can drive right through the parking lot to Hagey Street and park on the road across from Rich Products. One of Lauren's cousins is a nurse at DMH Urgent Care and even *he* parks on the road behind the hospital. Welland and GNGH were shitty because if it wasn't no parking anywhere on the surrounding streets, the parking meters banned parking after 6PM (coughNiagaraFallscough). Walmart and Best Buy is wee bit of a hike to get to the new hospital, and mark my words they will eventually start patrolling those lots and towing anyone they see heading over to the hospital.

The one thing, as Last Parade mentioned, is that all of the NHS was meters and one can effectively ignore them with no way of enforcement other than them towing your car if you rack up enough "invoices" that you never paid. I received one at DMH a while back when we needed to park closer to the door that was never paid and to this day nothing has come of. With the new hospital it looks like they've gone to the extent of installing gates that require some sort of validation to get out, though they had them open and covered up when my wife and I swang through the parking lot for a looksie earlier this week.
vintagewino
join:2003-07-22
Grimsby, ON

vintagewino

Member

said by Gone:

With the new hospital it looks like they've gone to the extent of installing gates that require some sort of validation to get out, though they had them open and covered up when my wife and I swang through the parking lot for a looksie earlier this week.

Yup. Like all the hospitals in Hamilton, you take a ticket when you enter, and you pay the machine before you leave to your car. The ticket is validated as paid, you stick it in, and the gate opens.

Burlington has meters, and some municipal parking. Cheaper than the hospital, but inconvenient.

The gates were up from what I understand from security, for this week only, as all the staff from all the shifts were coming in for a look. Next week, though ...

As for Peterboro's comment on meters, for the hospitals where there ARE meters in the vicinity (or 1 hour free street parking), the friendly bylaw enforcement officer keeps a pretty close eye on things. Price of ticket far surpasses the parking fees. And, at some hospitals, that is a rush route, so ticket price skyrockets (assuming your car is still there, and not towed).

Oh - and "malls around the corner" - take a look for the "no hospital parking signs". We have that at both malls near the hospital here. May be smoke and mirrors, but by posting, they can make your life inconvenient.

DKS
Damn Kidney Stones

join:2001-03-22
Owen Sound, ON

DKS

said by vintagewino:

Oh - and "malls around the corner" - take a look for the "no hospital parking signs". We have that at both malls near the hospital here. May be smoke and mirrors, but by posting, they can make your life inconvenient.

Same with the OSCVI parking lot, across from the hospital. It is posted "School Only". They can ticket and occasionally do.