Eastern Health's new, automated parking system will go into operation Tuesday at the Health Sciences Centre.
With metered parking eliminated, the cost now to park in the hospital's main lot will be 25 cents for 20 minutes or 75 cents an hour, up to a maximum of $12 a day.
According to Eastern Health, an additional 273 parking spaces, previously used by staff but made available to patients and visitors since March, have been converted to a long-term patient/visitor parking lot with a flat parking rate of $5.
Staff parking has been relocated to the parking garage at the corner of Clinch Crescent and Arctic Avenue, which was funded by the provincial government and is operated and maintained by Memorial University Newfoundland (MUN).
The new system involves an automated arm and a payment kiosk system, which eliminates the need to regularly feed meters when visiting the General Hospital, the Dr. H. Bliss Murphy Cancer Centre and the Janeway Children’s Health and Rehabilitation Centre.
Eastern Health says users can pay through a variety of methods, such as cash or major credit cards.
“The purpose of installing the new pay-on-foot parking system is to offer patients and visitors greater access to parking at the Health Sciences Complex,” said George Butt, vice-president of corporate services. “The new parking operation also provides our patients and their visitors with an easy-to-use payment system, where payments can either be made at the kiosk by the main lot exit, or inside the Health Sciences Centre at accessible and convenient locations. The automated pay systems inside the Health Sciences Centre are located in the main hallway near the main entrance and the adult emergency department entrance.”
Eastern Health says the installation of the new parking system was as a direct result of previous concerns raised by patients, visitors and the general public with regards to the inconvenience of metered parking at hospital facilities.
“The new parking operation is easy-to-use, and is very similar to the St. John’s airport parking system,” said Joe Dunford, director of infrastructure support. “Essentially, drivers receive a ticket when they enter the parking lot, and then present the ticket at one of the three exit stations when they leave, or one of the three automated pay-on-foot systems inside the Health Sciences Centre to determine the cost for parking.”
Eastern Health continues to provide designated parking at the Health Sciences Centre for dialysis patients who receive treatment for extended periods of time and cancer volunteers who drive patients to the Dr. H. Bliss Murphy Cancer Centre for cancer treatment.
The new parking system will be operational 24-hours a day, seven days a week, and the kiosk manned by a parking attendant from 6 a.m. to 11 p.m. daily.
More information about parking at Eastern Health facilities can be found on its website at www.easternhealth.ca.
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Is the $ 2 flat fee parking lot still available - it should be - it was great. Can general public access that staff parking garage & if so, how much?