How sad...

[HansV]

S0874.png

[Rudi]

That parking spot would be most popular!

[John Gray]

It gives the lie to the usual statement that "Parking is such sweet sorrow" (Romeo and Juliet, mildly modified)

[ChrisGreaves]

You laugh!
Toronto's parking meters are ticket-dispensing columns in the parking lots; you park the car, walk to the column, put in money (or credit card), take the printed ticket, and place it on the dashboard of the car.
Except that sometimes the columns (machines) are on the blink.

So, Toronto residents, being at least as smart as Skinner's Pigeons have hit on a tactic of phoning the parking authority on Ye Handye Celle Phonee and reporting a machine out of action.

It beats putting money in the slot ...

[ChrisGreaves]

... "Parking is such sweet sorrow" ...

That does it!
I'm going offline now ...

[stuck]

I note the original picture is from a UK NHS hospital site, in Hampshire. i can report this phenomenon is nto resteicted to the south of England Recently I had to make regular trips to a hospital about 30 miles away, to visit someone. A similar sign was often displayed there so I got free parking on more than one occasion.

Closer to home I've made regular trips to the local hospital (taxi driver to son and his orthodontic ironwork :deepjoy: ). A new car park opened soon after these trips started but the ticket there machines were out of order more than in orderand when they were in order they'd often and for no apparent reason, give you a receipt in German. After about a year later they installed new ticket machines, dread to think how much extra that cost them. Oh well it's only our taxes being wasted.

Ken

[stuck]

..."Parking is such sweet sorrow"...

I seem to remember I started last year's holiday blog with "Packing is such sweet sorrow" because my beloved wife was having difficulties getting her case under the luggage allowance.

Ken

[BobH]

Do you really have to pay to park at hospitals in the UK? I know of no such arrangement here in the US. Indeed, my hospital has free valet parking; but I usually a tip the runners a buck or two. That is far cheaper than meters, I think.

[Rudi]

Here the parking at state (public) hospitals is free, but for private clinics and hospitals there is paid parking.

[BobH]

Here the parking at state (public) hospitals is free, but for private clinics and hospitals there is paid parking.

Almost certainly there are hospitals in the US that require payment for parking. One can surmise that those in large cities (NYC, LA, Chi, Houston (maybe), et al) might be located such that paid parking exists (although I've been to hospitals in Houston and don't recall having to pay unless it was to get a space very close to entrances). My guess is that parking fees are used to encourage people to park at greater distances, just as valet parking is used; however, I believe that MOST hospitals do not charge for parking in the US.

[steveh]

Here the parking at state (public) hospitals is free, but for private clinics and hospitals there is paid parking.

Almost certainly there are hospitals in the US that require payment for parking. One can surmise that those in large cities (NYC, LA, Chi, Houston (maybe), et al) might be located such that paid parking exists (although I've been to hospitals in Houston and don't recall having to pay unless it was to get a space very close to entrances). My guess is that parking fees are used to encourage people to park at greater distances, just as valet parking is used; however, I believe that MOST hospitals do not charge for parking in the US.

Hi Bob

This new tax raising scheme started in the UK I guess about 10-15 years ago and has now been taken up throughout England but as far as I know does not apply to Scotland, Wales or Northern Ireland who do not charge. The below are the charges that our local hospital make. The nearer London the greater the charges for us, not sure about other Counties.

'Rant on' I live near Heathrow Airport and Ashford Hospital, a Hospital of Excellence', has slowly shrunk as the NHS have sold of the land to a large Tesco store and property developers so there is no longer an A+E just a walk in centre, god forbid there was a crash at Heathrow Airport before they would have needed to close one road for direct access, our local hospital is now 12 miles away and at peak traffic times 30-40 minutes and they are now talking of closing their A+E and moving it to Guildford, about 30 miles away, 40 minutes on a good day 75 minutes on an average day, 'Rant off'

[jonwallace]

Do you really have to pay to park at hospitals in the UK? I know of no such arrangement here in the US. Indeed, my hospital has free valet parking; but I usually a tip the runners a buck or two. That is far cheaper than meters, I think.

NHS Scotland only charge for parking at two hospitals. (Mine and the one in Edinburgh) I can't speak for Edinburgh, but ours needed massive (and expensive) work done in the 80s and it was subcontracted to a company whose contract allows them to charge (even when hospital parking charges were abolished by the Scottish Government) and to increase those charges every year. (a right little money-spinner)

[ChrisGreaves]

Do you really have to pay to park at hospitals in the UK? ...

Up to $25 a day in and around Toronto Toronto Star
A regular practice in the suburbs (e.g. Credit Valley Hospital Mississauga) is to park in the shopping mall then cross over a dozen lanes of arterial traffic to get to the hospital.
Although the mall can fine slap a ticket on you, technically you can beat the fine.
Which is probably cheaper than parking on the hospital site ...

In this Google Maps view you can see the brown track across the lawns, made by hundreds of visitors to Credit Valley Hospital.

cvh2.jpg