To the Editor,
Have you ever talked to anybody in Nanaimo who didn’t decry the abysmal parking at Nanaimo Regional General Hospital and getting fined if you didn’t pay in emergency spots?
What if you didn’t have correct change, or any money at all? People don’t plan to have emergencies.
Robbins Parking just keeps laughing all the way to the bank while people are penalized because they were in a crisis situation.
One doesn’t have to pay to park at a hockey, curling, or bingo game in Nanaimo.
Vancouver Island is a high density area for an aging population with many people having to use canes, walkers, scooters and other handicap aids.
Why don’t planners for public parking lots take this into consideration? Nobody goes to the hospital if they don’t have to.
Think of an elderly or handicapped person going to visit an ill relative and having to walk so far in the cold wind and rain, and nearly all uphill.
Why aren’t public parking lots built in tiers like downtown parkades on the level with elevators, instead of stretching across the grounds?
Tiers would save a lot of space at the hospital site, schools and ferry terminals.
University students wouldn’t have to congest residential side streets which limits visibility for potential accidents.
We should ask our civic bodies and election candidates about their views on this growing problem.
They should plan to build their platforms to prevent public problems as described to taxpayers.
I would prefer to support such a candidate who thinks of public needs of everyday life and strife as opposed to need of another hockey arena.
Doris Lee
Nanaimo
