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Ridge hospital parking is just ‘crazy’

Nurse slapped with $80 parking ticket, despite having a pass

Editor, The News:

Re: Pay as you leave hospital parking (Letters, Feb. 19).

On Feb. 24, my wife was slapped with an $80 parking ticket at the Carelife lot at Ridge Meadows Hospital for parking in the wrong stall.

My wife is a nurse working on various wards in the hospital, but also working three days a week for Community Health.

She has on her driving mirror a valid Fraser Health pass, which allows her to park for a maximum of 20 minutes in stalls 17 to 21.

Last week she arrived at the hospital at 15:30 to process some paperwork about an elderly patient, as well as putting in her time sheet. This was in her own time, unpaid, and by mistake she parked in stall No.15 instead of 17. There were no other cars parked in that row of stalls.

My wife and daughter, both nurses at Ridge Meadows Hospital, arrange drop-offs and pick-ups when working in the hospital, to avoid the parking costs.

When are we going to sort out this situation? Can we really expect our nurses to pay to go to work?

Mission Hospital has free parking, why don’t we?

The congested parking in the streets close to the hospital are a testament to the fact that both patients and staff are voting with their feet when it comes hospital parking fees.

I contacted Impark and got the fine reduced to $20, but still, crazy.

Sean Biesty

Maple Ridge