Paying it forward in a private parking lot in Windsor is a thing of the past.
The new owners of the Windsor Health Centre, at the corner of Howard and Tecumseh, have changed their "Pay and Display" parking tickets requiring drivers to enter their licence plate number to obtain a ticket.
The new requirement prevents people from sharing their ticket if there is extra time available they don't need.
Speaking on AM800's the Lynn Martin Show, Windsor's Supervisor of Parking Enforcement Bill Kralovensky says it will increase revenue for the new owners.
"To further bolsters their revenues for the lot," says Kralovensky. "Somebody would pay for three hours of parking and they are only in the doctor for an hour. So they have two hours left so they give it to the next person saying I have two hours left...here you go."
Kralovensky says this was not the city's idea.
"This is not a city owned parking lot. This is a privately owned business that rents medical space out to the doctors and they run a legitimate parking lot and we only enforce that through a contract."
Pay and Display at the parking lot at Howard and Tecumseh. May 11, 2017 (Photo by Teresinha Medeiros)
He says the new owners have to abide by rules to ensure drivers are aware of the change.
Property Manager at the Windsor Health Centre Nadia Hindi is defending the change saying new rates actually make it more fair for drivers who use the parking lot.
She says the new owners took over the property back in October 2016 and wanted to address some parking issues.
In the past, drivers paid $3 for two hours but under the new ownership, $3 now pays for four hours.
Hindi says this ensures people have enough time for their appointments.
"If they are doing their business here, they aren't running back and forth to feed the machine and we are reducing their frustration," she says. "Basically you have to think of it as if the gates were there, you would still be paying the three dollars and we are being fair to everybody but it is three dollars per vehicle."
Hindi says the change should be revenue neutral but if extra money is made, then it would go to upkeep.
She acknowledges the change does reduce "passing the ticket around" but the parking ticket is per vehicle.
A resident e-mailed AM800 news saying paying it forward was a "wonderful gesture that made someone's day". She says it is disappointing and disheartening calling the change "shameful."