Parking in Waterloo Region

[Viewfromthe42]

How is this bad?

In my mind, hospital parking should be free. The last thing someone wants to think about when their loved one is dying is if they have the right change for the parking gate.

Sunlife already works incredibly hard to keep everyone in a car, and the shuttle lots they have would not be able to compete with "park for free at the hospital."

If we recognize that Conestoga and Fairview will see some people use mall parking as ION/GRT park'n'ride, it's foolish to think that were hospital parking free, it would not be abused.

It's also a source of income for the hospital, which encourages them to maximize their extra revenue. Were we to detach the local motivation from parking decisions, by making it free or centrally determined, we'd likely see either too little parking or too much.