Waterford replacement plan sparks parking concerns, surprises City of St. John's

Plans to relocate the Waterford Hospital to the Health Sciences Centre blindsided the City of St. John's and has a cancer patient concerned about parking.

"I think it's going to be a major problem for patients that come to this facility," said Susan Glynn, a cancer patient who is at the hospital regularly for treatment.

"The stress of this parking has been ongoing for many, many years."

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Last week, the provincial government announced the 100-bed hostel at the Health Sciences Centre would be replaced with a 94-bed mental health and addictions hospital, to replace the Waterford.

There are also plans for a new hostel and aparking garage for the Health Sciences Centre site.

Glynn said it's good that a parking garage for the facility is planned, but after three years of advocating for designated parking spots for cancer patients, something she says other hospitals in the province have provided, she's frustrated to hear that parking could get worse for patients like her.

Not included in city's traffic plans

Sandy Hickman, St. John's city councillor, said the plans came as a surprise to him.

As head of the traffic committee, he's been working on a traffic study on the area since 2014, looking at ways to relieve congestion along Prince Philip Drive, which connects two major hospitals, Memorial University and the College of the North Atlantic campus.

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Results of the study were released last summer, and recommended three major roundabouts for the busy road.

Hickman said that although the provincial government knew about the study and had even signed on to finance some of the work needed, they hadn't mentioned the plans for the Waterford relocation.

"This seems to be a fairly new idea from government to put the hospital here on this site," he said.

"[The new facility] was not included in the numbers that we used for traffic off and on this lot."

Normally, a proposal for a large construction project would work with the City of St. John's to develop a plan for parking, he said.

Though the city wasn't consulted, Hickman said the proposed changes to Prince Philip Drive will accommodate the traffic increase with the new hospital.

'It won't make any difference'

Over in the Health Sciences Centre parking lot, Mike Peters remains unconvinced.

He sat in his car in the back of the lot, waiting for either a call from his mother saying she was finished in the hospital, or for a tap on the window from a Health Sciences Centre parking official.

He has a physical disability, he said, and can never find a spot to park in the lot when he drops off his mother, even with a blue sticker on his car.

"I just got to sit around wherever I can," he said, adding that with his disability, it's impossible for him to drop her off, park far away and then walk to the hospital to be with her.

Sometimes, he said, the parking attendants will come by and "chase [him] off."

"For me? [The parking garage] won't make any difference. I don't think it'll make any difference at all."