REGINA — After every shift at the Regina General Hospital, Nicole Robertson can almost guarantee she will find at least one parking ticket on her windshield.
“Parking on the street in the entire surrounding area is basically limited to two hours,” she said.
As a nurse, however, Robertson works 12 hour shifts.
“It would be impossible for me to come out here and move my car every two hours,” she said.
Robertson explains she has to park on the street because there is nowhere else. In one of the lots, staff needs to have a pass, but even after seven years, Robertson says she is just #280 on the waiting list. She will not pay to park in the visitor lot because families would not have anywhere to go.
“I really don’t know what the alternative is for us,” Robertson said.
The parking frustrations are not isolated to hospital staff. Those who live in the neighbourhood say they deal with both staff and workers parking anywhere they can.
“The hospital definitely adds stress to the neighbourhood,” said Kris Dueck. “We don’t have a garage, we just have a parking spot behind our house, and people will often park there illegally.”
Neighbours also have to deal with a lack of parking space when friends come to visit.
Mayor Michael Fougere says the city is responding to those complaints. Over the last year enforcement has been beefed up and more tickets have been handed out.
“Just to follow the rules,” explained Fougere. “It’s a two hour parking limit. You should be obeying that and at least moving your car so other people can use that again.”
In the past a parkade has been considered as a solution, but Bill Carney, a spokesperson for Regina Qu’Appelle Health Region says it is no longer an option.
“We’ve costed it out,” he explained. “We can’t get anybody in private sector interested in it. It’s just not economical and we don’t have the money to do it.”
The health region is looking for ways to resolve the parking dilemma, including a shuttle service between the hospitals and a park and ride from the Conexus Arts Centre. The shuttles run between 6 a.m. and 8 p.m., but staff members like Robertson say these options will not help them because of their irregular hours.
“I think we need to start talking about a better solution,” said Robertson, adding she will likely just keep paying the parking tickets she is given.
Regina Qu’Appelle Health Region says it is making sure the new outpatient facility in the city’s southeast called Plain’s Surgical Centre will have ample parking. It is expected to be completed in a few years.
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