I went to the ER the other day. I drove myself to the hospital, parked at the short-term parking lot right next to the ER (I was trying to make a beeline there, I really wasn’t concerned about where I parked). I expected to out within 2 or 3 hours but the hospital ended up keeping me for a week.
When I came out, I expected my car to be impounded, or at least covered in parking tickets. But no: there was only one with a warning and nothing to pay.
When I checked the case number on the city’s parking fine webpage, the comment indicated “Driver reported hospitalized - fine waived.”
Yes, nothing like coming out of a rough week alone in isolation in a hospital room, with friends and family not allowed to enter the room, and finding out the system sometimes makes small allowances for kindness and common sense. It sure felt great.
Small things like that give me back hope in humanity. Too bad they’re few and far between.
I’ve never understood how it can even be legal for hospitals to have parking fees for patients. It’s not like you became ill simply to take advantage of the parking situation so why are they charging people?
I had to go to hospital because of a seven tendon. Which I thought would probably be a quick fix but they were complications so it took forever and I had to get my girlfriend who had known for about 2 weeks at this point to move the car too long to stay. I did not consider ever the possibility that the parking people would just be reasonable
You want to keep parking spaces available for people visiting the hospital and it’s more convenient to have short term parking close to the doors. Without fining you’d have hard time enforcing any of that
So why do patients have to pay the fee, why doesn’t the hospital have some system where they go oh yeah, this person with this registration plate has been admitted, leave them alone?
Why is it on the patient who may very well have a lot more going on than simple pain to arrange matters.
Because if I had overstayed my 3-hour limit I would have absolutely been charged. They use the excuse of needing to keep spaces open as an excuse to charge people. It’s nothing more than exploitative.
Because assholes exist. If they don’t do it like this then some opportunistic pieces of shit will constantly occupy lots. Making the parking cost the same as everywhere else (or even more if possible) is the only way to keep the parking spaces available for those who need them.
They can then waive the fee/fines on a case-to-case basis like what happened with OP.
I’ve never understood how it can even be legal for hospitals to have parking fees for patients. It’s not like you became ill simply to take advantage of the parking situation so why are they charging people?
In the case of my local hospital, they do it because there are apartment complexes nearby and the residents used to abuse the hospital’s parking spots when they couldn’t find a spot in their residence.
I went to the ER the other day. I drove myself to the hospital, parked at the short-term parking lot right next to the ER (I was trying to make a beeline there, I really wasn’t concerned about where I parked). I expected to out within 2 or 3 hours but the hospital ended up keeping me for a week.
When I came out, I expected my car to be impounded, or at least covered in parking tickets. But no: there was only one with a warning and nothing to pay.
When I checked the case number on the city’s parking fine webpage, the comment indicated “Driver reported hospitalized - fine waived.”
They actually checked with the hospital. Nice!
see that’s society actually functioning.
Yes, nothing like coming out of a rough week alone in isolation in a hospital room, with friends and family not allowed to enter the room, and finding out the system sometimes makes small allowances for kindness and common sense. It sure felt great.
Small things like that give me back hope in humanity. Too bad they’re few and far between.
I’ve never understood how it can even be legal for hospitals to have parking fees for patients. It’s not like you became ill simply to take advantage of the parking situation so why are they charging people?
I had to go to hospital because of a seven tendon. Which I thought would probably be a quick fix but they were complications so it took forever and I had to get my girlfriend who had known for about 2 weeks at this point to move the car too long to stay. I did not consider ever the possibility that the parking people would just be reasonable
You want to keep parking spaces available for people visiting the hospital and it’s more convenient to have short term parking close to the doors. Without fining you’d have hard time enforcing any of that
So why do patients have to pay the fee, why doesn’t the hospital have some system where they go oh yeah, this person with this registration plate has been admitted, leave them alone?
Why is it on the patient who may very well have a lot more going on than simple pain to arrange matters.
Because if I had overstayed my 3-hour limit I would have absolutely been charged. They use the excuse of needing to keep spaces open as an excuse to charge people. It’s nothing more than exploitative.
It sounds like the hospital did handle it. I don’t think it’s an excuse that they want those places to remain for those actually visiting quickly.
Because assholes exist. If they don’t do it like this then some opportunistic pieces of shit will constantly occupy lots. Making the parking cost the same as everywhere else (or even more if possible) is the only way to keep the parking spaces available for those who need them.
They can then waive the fee/fines on a case-to-case basis like what happened with OP.
In the case of my local hospital, they do it because there are apartment complexes nearby and the residents used to abuse the hospital’s parking spots when they couldn’t find a spot in their residence.
Glad you’re doing well!