Rising Hospital Parking Charges: Is it Fair?

I have noticed on recent visits to my local hospital (wife's appointment, not me this time) how much hospital parking charges have risen. Some years back, when I was visiting for ostovisits, it was about £1.20 per hour. It is now £1.80 UK (2.86 US). I only want to park my car; I have no desire to actually purchase the car park.

It is also potluck if the department/doctor/surgeon/nurse is running on time. Your visit time can also tick over into the 3rd or 4th hours. Thus, being a couple of minutes late back to your car can cost you an extra full hour's parking charge.

I did, however, visit a friend in hospital recently, at a town 30 miles from me. Guess what? Parking was free!!

Be thankful.........here (Montreal).

Hit the full-day cost of 25; Canadian after 90 minutes. (21 US)...............and doctors are never on time.......I was in Florida and not one hospital charged parking rates that I went to........free parking....

They have raised the parking prices here as well, especially around the hospital downtown. It really added up paying for parking every day I had radiation (25 days) even though we only had to park for an hour or so. I did some looking around and found a residential street just outside of the hospital campus that charges half of what the streets are right by the hospital.

Wow! Just... wow! Here in France, they think hospital car park charges are a foreign plot, and nobody has them.

When I had chemo in the UK, I blanched at the parking fees: when I complained about them to the unit secretary, she quietly produced a bag of tokens giving free parking for regular patients. Have you tried that? I made a habit of cultivating the parking attendants as well. They decided I was a nice vicar and became most obliging, often lifting up the barrier to let me through.

When we moved from there to a new area, my appointments were at a big hospital in the nearby city. Prices were high there, but when I turned up wearing the Ring of Confidence (cut them out of Fairy Liquid detergent bottles, remember to wear them with the white side out!), I was allowed to buy a Clergy Parking Pass, which gave me unlimited parking at £30 a year!

Chris, you sound like a one-man Monty Python sketch.

WAB - Nothing like me - haven't had hair like that in 40 years!

No parking charges at my hospital, and they even offer valet parking. You drive up to the door, get out, and they park your car for you. Again, no charge!!

Charging for parking?! That is ridiculous! Never have I paid to park at a hospital! They charge such a high fee for the doctor or hospital visit, it is a crime to charge more knowing you have to drive there and park somewhere!

Puppyluv