By David Chernushenko, Ottawa Citizen, December 4, 2016
It seems that a hospital site solution has been brokered. What has not yet been resolved, or even adequately questioned, is the oversized surface parking “requirement” put forward from the outset as an essential criterion. That’s a 1970s’ vision for a 21st-century hospital. We can, and must do better than repeating the mistakes of the past.
Let me start by stating the obvious: Most people don’t take the bus to hospital in an emergency or if they have mobility issues. No one expects physicians on call to use public transit. Those visiting loved ones may not choose to take the LRT — unless they are among the 15 per cent of Ottawa households who do not own a car.
But even if we assume that nobody will take public transit for urgent visits or if they are not ambulatory, that still leaves the massive majority of trips to hospital taken by staff, visitors and clinic patients. Given the choice, many – no, not all – would choose transit.