Stall numbers in RIH parkade finally make sense

KAMLOOPS — When one bitches about something, it’s only fair that one acknowledges when a correction has been made.

So it is with the Royal Inland Hospital parkade. I don’t mean that the stupid pay-before-you-park system is any less stupid than it ever was — some things don’t change.

However, about four months ago I griped about the ridiculous stall-numbering system in the Clinical Services Building parkade. I surmised that there must have been a lot of focus-group discussion around how to come up with the dumbest stall-numbering system possible.

Stalls on level P1 were numbered 1 to 68, those on level P2 were 69 to 163, those on P3 were 164-258 and those on P4 were 259-350.

As one who tends to remember where I’ve parked based on the stall number, I frequently found myself wandering around the parkade looking for my lost vehicle. 

Boogie The Bridge

Boogie The Bridge Event Information

Apr 19, 2024

SOUND OFF

SOUND OFF: Police confirm diversion of government-supplied drugs

7m ago

ARMCHAIR MAYOR

ROTHENBURGER: A fond farewell to the airwaves from the Armchair Mayor

4h ago

But then, a wonderful thing happened. During the past couple of weeks, I’ve been visiting a family member in hospital. One day, I discovered they’ve changed the stall numbers, which now correspond to the level on which you’ve parked. So if you’re on level P!, your stall number is 100-something. And if on level P2, 200-something, and so on.

Whoever the “they” are within the mysterious democracy of our health-care system actually figured it out. I’m not sure when it happened, because there was no press conference, no press release, no ribbon cutting, no cake — but there should have been.

Because it proves that somebody, somewhere in that system is able to think.

Now if only they could do something about people at the pay-parking kiosk who insist on letting their grand-kids each push a number, and a letter, and a number, and put in a coin, and another coin, and on and on, then discover they’re a nickel short, while the lineup grows….

But no, let’s be grateful for this one small blessing — stall numbers that make sense.