Thunder Bay hospital looks for more parking spaces

Gridlock has taken on more than one meaning at the Thunder Bay Regional Health Sciences Centre.

Not only are there lineups for beds, but patients and visitors are having trouble finding parking space.

"It's almost always full. I've had to go round and round, even though I have a renal sticker and a wheel chair sticker,” said Barb Rothenberg, who visits the renal centre and attempts to park in the lot nearby.

Rothenberg said she's lucky she's never missed a treatment because she couldn't find parking — but she has been late. She'd like to see the hospital add more spots.

That may happen soon, said Peter Myllymaa, executive vice president of operations at the hospital.

"We are looking at some immediate needs, and likely in the neighbourhood of 300 spaces."

As well as adding more parking spots, the hospital hopes to update the equipment at the entrances and exits, he said.

"It is aging, and part of our capital plan is to look at replacing the parking equipment.”

Myllymaa said he's not sure if that will include an automated function to inform drivers a parking lot is full before they enter it.

The hospital currently has about 1,600 parking spots. Myllyma said he'd like to see that number rise to about 2,000 within the next five years.

"We've added, since last year … another 128. We did have complaints, and those complaints have been reduced as a result of that."