Parking in Ottawa/Gatineau
 

Hey everyone

I'm looking to purchase a condo in Hintonburg, near the Parkdale market, and wanted to know if anyone lives there and has experience with street parking in the area? Are there many spots available for cars with city permits? What about parking lots?

Thanks for the input. Apologies if this is in the wrong section.

There several official lots (e.g., on Hinton Ave) and unofficial lots (harder-to-see paved-over backyards) within a couple of blocks of the Parkdale Market. Most side streets have on-street parking, but it's limited to 1-3 hours during the day, and overnight parking bans are in effect whenever there's a decent snow fall in the winter, so you'll need a plan B if you want to rely on the street for full-time, year-round parking. Or be prepared for tickets from time to time.

I assume you are trying to decide if you should buy a parking spot. Keep in mind it is about $700 a year for the on street permit. Realtors will tell you resale is harder without parking, but I think that is not necessarily true anymore. Honestly with Ottawa's weather one of the best things about living in a Condo is having indoor attached parking and if you won't be using your car much it will be especially useful. There are almost always spots available for rent.

this thread is pretty on point; the Councillor just posted this yesterday: http://kitchissippiward.ca/content/kitchissippi-parking-strategy-final-recommendations-next-steps

Thanks for the replies! Yes, I'm debating whether or not I should purchase a parking spot or if I can get away with a street permit or parking lot. My biggest concern with parking lots is that they will likely get bought out by a developer over time, and parking options will become even more limited.

I lived at a rental apartment with no parking spot and no street parking permit for a year, in the inner urban area. It was a pain. I'd have to keep an eye on the parking time limit all the time. This is not as much of a deal in the suburbs, as there's more street parking & less enforcement.

Would you want to deal with that all the time? If you buy a spot, perhaps you can rent it out if you want. If you decide to rent it out all the time, consider what your return on investment would be -- how long would it take to recoup the cost of buying that parking spot.

Amid parking woes, Westboro, Hintonburg main drag to continue offering free parking

Matthew Pearson, Ottawa Citizen
Published on: March 7, 2017 | Last Updated: March 7, 2017 3:48 PM EST

Paid parking on Westboro and Hintonburg’s main drag may have solved some of the neighbourhoods’ parking woes, but local businesses and community associations wouldn’t go for it, says Kitchissippi Coun. Jeff Leiper.

On-street parking along Somerset, Wellington West and Richmond often exceeds practical capacity, meaning more than 85 per cent of available spots are taken. The situation causes congestion and forces drivers to hunt for spaces on residential side streets.

In particular, Richmond Road west of Tweedsmuir Avenue and Wellington Street west of Parkdale Avenue are among the highest demand locations for on-street parking in Ottawa.

Leiper said he was open to the possibility of introducing paid parking along the corridor to encourage more turnover and noted data collected during a two-year parking study confirmed such a measure could be a possible solution. Paid on-street parking is already a reality on Bank Street, Preston Street and in the ByWard Market.

But reaching the necessary consensus among the BIAs and community associations to make the change wasn’t possible, so paid parking won’t be recommended in Kitchissippi’s new parking strategy, which is slated for consideration next month by the transportation committee.

There is a “good body of literature” on how to use pricing to alleviate some of the pressure caused by parking demand, but Leiper said some were reticent to accept it.

“Even though we have spent quite a while talking with residents and businesses about what that literature demonstrates, I think people are still being guided by their gut. People don’t like to pay for parking and so the assumption becomes, ‘If I don’t want to pay for parking, then others won’t either,'” he said.

Some business owners feared the introduction of paid parking would “dissuade people from visiting their shops and they’ll go to places where there is free parking available,” he said.

The Wellington West BIA opposed paid parking, while the Westboro BIA came out in favour of it, Leiper said. Paid parking on the commercial strip is one of the city’s preconditions for getting a parking garage, which many in Westboro believe would further help alleviate parking problems.

Three out of four affected community associations also opposed paid parking.

Westboro has seen a huge increase in on-street parking demand.

Utilization in the peak period, between 10 a.m. and 3 p.m., was 65 per cent in 1997; last year it was 92 per cent. Average utilization is also up to 82 per cent from 49 per cent in 1997.

Parking is the No. 1 concern for people coming to the area by car. The majority of drivers surveyed say they found a space in Westboro in less than five minutes, but it took most people between five and 10 minutes to find a space in Wellington West.

In 2015, nearly 10,000 tickets were handed out on Wellington West, plus an additional 5,800 tickets in Westboro.

Instead of paid parking on Somerset, Wellington West and Richmond, the report will make a number of other recommendations, including:

Westboro

• Implement a 90-minute maximum parking time limit from 7 a.m. to 7 p.m. along Richmond Road, seven days a week
• Add new on-street parking spaces on Madison and Kirkwood avenues
• Install signs directing motorists to the Westboro Station parking garage off Byron Avenue
• Pursue paid parking along Danforth Avenue at a rate of $1.50 per hour (for a maximum of three hours)

Wellington West

• On Wellington between Island Park and Parkdale, maintain the 90-minute time limit but extend it to 7 a.m. to 7 p.m., seven days a week
• On Wellington between Parkdale and Garland, reduce to a 90-minute time limit from 7 a.m. to 7 p.m., seven days a week
• On Somerset between Garland and the O-Train tracks, reduce to a 90-minute time limit from 7 a.m. to 7 p.m., seven days a week
• On streets with paid parking, reduce the hourly rate from $3 to $1.50 and increase time limits on Holland Avenue from one to two hours and on Spencer Street and Hamilton Avenue for two to three hours
• Remove paid parking on Holland on Saturdays
• Install signs to promote the city-owned lot at the Parkdale Market

The report will also request additional enforcement of time limits and overtime parking along Richmond, Wellington West and Somerset, as well as at no parking zones located on Huron and Hinton avenues immediately north of Wellington Street West.

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twitter.com/mpearson78

http://ottawacitizen.com/news/local-news...n-drag-to-continue-offering-free-parking

I was so turned off by the one hour parking limit in Westboro, that I avoid going there. I told the local City Councillor that who couldn't care less. So, I take my money elsewhere.

And now they propose changing to 90 minutes, per the post above yours - does that address your concern?

Any other "destination" in Ottawa and you are generally paying for parking.

On the occasion, I was eating in a restaurant, 60 minutes was ridiculous. 90 minutes is better, but in my case, the damage is done. I won't be going back.

Fine, if it is a real destination, I will pay. But give me reasonable time to conduct my business.

The only place I visit on Richmond/Wellington is MEC. Not going anywhere else while street parking is free, unless I absolutely must to.
Why should I be worrying about the time limit and why should I be circling around looking for the free parking spot?

Free parking in a shopping district is a backward policy and an embarrassment to the city.

The damage is done? You were rushed at lunch once? Must be nice for this to be the problem you're having.

How about a hybrid system? Make the first 30 minutes of parking free. Longer than that and you have to pay for it (the length can be adjusted depending on the area).

This would keep parking free for people making short stops at local stores and doing errands, but help free up some parking spaces by incentivizing people not to park longer than necessary. At the same time it does give people the option to stay for longer if they feel they need to or if they are doing something that will take longer, like going for diner.

I see your point but I really doubt you really avoid shopping there because of free parking. On a sunny Saturday it's actually easier to find a free spot within a block or two of Wellington than finding a paid spot in the Market for example.

The problem I see is the city has no options between 1 hour free parking and $3 an hour parking. MEC has a good compromise with $1 for an hour parking. I know it might be complicated but I would argue they should add meters to Wellington and other borderline parking areas. Maybe even raise the rates in very busy and in demand areas like the market.

Transportation committee to review rules for free on-street parking

Matthew Pearson, Ottawa Citizen
Published on: April 5, 2017 | Last Updated: April 5, 2017 3:26 PM EDT

Free parking has prevailed on Westboro and Hintonburg’s main drag — for now — but the transportation committee on Wednesday vowed to review criteria for introducing paid parking and consider scrapping the veto currently held by neighbourhood business and community associations.

An exhaustive two-year parking study of Somerset, Wellington West and Richmond concluded that adding parking meters along the corridor would be one way to solve parking woes along the popular shopping and dining strip.

On-street parking often exceeds practical capacity, the study found, meaning more than 85 per cent of available spots are taken. The situation causes congestion and forces drivers to hunt for spaces on residential side streets. In particular, Richmond Road west of Tweedsmuir Avenue and Wellington Street west of Parkdale Avenue are among the highest demand locations for on-street parking in Ottawa.

Relying on a “good body of literature” on how pricing can alleviate some of the pressure caused by parking demand, the ward’s councillor, Jeff Leiper, was open to introducing paid on-street parking, which is already a reality on Bank Street, Preston Street and in the ByWard Market.

The committee heard the lack of paid parking in one part of the city is hurting businesses in another.

“You guys have a freebie and we don’t,” said Andre Schad. “It’s costing us.”

Schad, who owns Schad Boutique on Sussex Drive, said several businesses have moved to Westboro from the ByWard Market, where he claims enforcement of on-street parking is stiffer. He added the proliferation of bars and restaurants in the market, which has been raised as a concern by some, is due to the departure of retail shops who can no longer afford the rents.

“We’re just looking for an equal playing field for all retailers in the city.”

Paid parking wasn’t recommended by city staff in Kitchissippi’s new parking strategy because there was no consensus among the business improvement and community associations, which is required to make such a change. The Westboro Village BIA and Hampton Iona Community Association were both on board, but the Wellington West BIA, Westboro, Wellington Village and Hintonburg community associations all opposed paid parking.

Instead, the report proposes a number of other recommendations, such as harmonizing the maximum parking limit along Somerset, Wellington West and Richmond to 90 minutes between 7 a.m. and 7 p.m., seven days a week.

Because the necessary consensus wasn’t reached — despite the fact city staff concluded paid parking was warranted according to the city’s parking management strategy — there was no easy way for the committee or council to overrule.

Staff was directed to “review the oversight” of the parking management strategy as part of the end-of-term governance review coming up in late 2018.

Reviewing the process could remove the veto BIAs, community associations and councillors currently have, establish consistent rules and set clear criteria for when paid parking is introduced on a street, Leiper said after the meeting.

“Let’s take the politics out of paid parking.”

If the process ultimately changes, paid parking could come to Kitchissippi sooner rather than later, Leiper said.

[email protected]
twitter.com/mpearson78

http://ottawacitizen.com/news/local-news...-review-rules-for-free-on-street-parking

Swapping parking for bike lanes: 'What the hell kind of sense does this make?'

Jon Willing, Ottawa Citizen
Published on: April 21, 2017 | Last Updated: April 21, 2017 11:11 AM EDT

The potential removal of nearly 100 on-street parking spots so a councillor can blaze a trail for safe cycling in the city has some Wellington West residents asking for help from the mayor and demanding more consultation.

The drama centres on a 600-metre stretch of Spencer Street, between Western and Holland avenues. The residential street is one block north of the Wellington Street West commercial strip.

The city has upgraded the underground pipes and sewers and it’s time to finish the road reconstruction and landscaping.

Spencer Street is suggested as connector route for cyclists in the official Ottawa-Gatineau cycling map, but the city isn’t required to add bike infrastructure to the street.

However, Kitchissippi Coun. Jeff Leiper is promoting a new road design that would paint bike lanes on both sides of the street, resulting in the loss of 97 on-street parking spaces.

Incensed residents and business owners have been signing petitions and writing to Mayor Jim Watson, demanding the retention of on-street parking.

“I was shocked,” Ron Elliott said. “The street had just been narrowed in order to expand the width of the sidewalk. I thought, what the hell kind of sense does this make?”

Elliott, whose house is at the corner of Spencer Street and Ross Avenue, said homeowners caught wind of the plan last year and those who oppose the design are pushing Leiper to change it.

“I think the guy works really hard for the community, but I don’t like the fact that he’s pushing his vision for what he thinks is best for the neighbourhood,” said Connor Grimes, whose lives across from Elliott. “It should be for the businesses and the community to decide.”

Leiper acknowledged that he’s trying to push the envelope when it comes to cycling infrastructure, even amid vocal opposition.

“I want to go further than what the policies are,” Leiper said.

According to Leiper, city staff aren’t opposed to the bike lanes, so it’s pretty much up to him to provide a final direction before the road work begins.

Leiper said cycling on Spencer Street is a good way to avoid Wellington Street and a more efficient route than pedalling to the bike path on Scott Street. The city should be making it easier for people to cycle in neighbourhoods and make the streets safer for everyone, Leiper said.

But Elliott and Grimes, who both bike, don’t believe there’s a danger for cyclists on Spencer Street. Homeowners like the on-street parking for visitors and service providers, they said.

Parking controversies tend to consume the Wellington West community.

The city had to remove a bike corral from Wellington Street in 2014 after receiving complaints about the structure taking up parking for cars.

Earlier this year, a city study suggested paid parking is warranted on Wellington Street and Richmond Road to encourage vehicle turnover. There was pushback from the BIAs and community associations, so the city stuck with the status quo.

The analysis by the city shows mostly low demand for parking on Spencer Street during peak times, but on-street parking demand on Wellington Street West west of Parkdale Avenue is among the highest in Ottawa.

The Wellington West BIA doesn’t have a position on the potential loss of parking on Spencer Street, especially since the street is in the residential area on the BIA boundary.

“The heart of this issue is around consultation,” BIA executive director Zachary Dayler said.

Some individual businesses owners are annoyed, though.

Linda Greenberg of Capital City Luggage said losing parking is a “big concern” for merchants, since ultimately there will be less parking for customers.

At the same time, cycling advocates think it’s an opportunity for the city to make a statement on the importance of cycling infrastructure.

Gareth Davies, president of Citizens for Safe Cycling, said Wellington Street isn’t a safe route for cyclists, which makes Spencer Street a good alternative.

“It’s something that we worked on to get the plans to where they are now,” Davies said.

Leiper said he’ll be listening to arguments and potential compromises from both sides of the issue during an open house Tuesday. The open house will be at the Ottawa Mosque’s Hall of Peace at 241 Northwestern Ave. from 7 p.m. to 9 p.m.

“I’m prepared to move ahead or drop it,” Leiper said.

[email protected]
twitter.com/JonathanWilling

http://ottawacitizen.com/news/local-news...at-the-hell-kind-of-sense-does-this-make

While I am generally supportive of more biking infrastructure, I have to admit I don't see a huge point to putting bike lanes on Spencer Street.

The road itself is a residential street without very high traffic. Bikers aren't in a huge danger from taking this road like they would be on a main street. The bike path at Scott Street is a block north. Spencer St. isn't very long, it doesn't fill in a significant gap in the city's cycling infrastructure or connect anywhere major where there aren't already alternatives.

I can see the desire to have an alternative to cycling on Wellington, but again I don't see it as being long enough to be worthwhile. Maybe if they extended the bike lanes across the Somerset bridge until the street changes to Wellington and then added bike lanes to Armstrong that would be worthwhile, but on its own I don't think it covers a big enough distance to be worth it.

There is a plan for Armstrong where Spencer is a further extension West.

There are plans for Armstrong to become more of Complete Street/ woonerf with retail and more residences. Jeff Leiper can probably extrapolate on this plan, but there will be a bike lane along Armstrong to the Parkdale Market, and then there will be a detour one block north to Spencer to continue to Island Park Drive.

The best option would be for both Wellington/Somerset and Scott Street to have segregated bike lanes, but that is unlikely. Spencer and Armstrong as parallel streets provide a much slower and safer route for cyclists getting to the commercial main streets.

While the article claims 97 parking spots will be lost, the actual number of spots in use is fairly low (almost single digits). Removing parking on Spencer won't negatively affect businesses or residents, and even if it's painted, the bike lane provides an identifiable space for cyclists to use, especially considering it is a pretty commonly-used alternate route for cyclists. I might use Scott to get from Westboro to Spencer or even Hintonburg, but without SBL Scott is not very safe. As such, when I can I use Scott and Byron.

These bike lanes will also be cheap to construct, as it's just a matter of painting the asphalt. If we get a more "official" bike lane like Laurier, O'Connor, Churchill in the area, it can be converted to something else (maybe a sidewalk on the South side). But that won't happen until we build bike lanes on Wellington/ Richmond, which won't be happening.

Jeff Leiper might want to weigh in as he might have more information on the plans than me. But for now, I think it's a good plan for the time being.

Holland Avenue could use bike lanes though!

+1 for bike lanes on Holland. It would nicely connect Scott St to the Byron path.

'We have this raging battle between bike lanes and parking': Spencer Street blowback angers Ottawa cycling advocate

Jon Willing, Ottawa Citizen
Published on: April 24, 2017 | Last Updated: April 24, 2017 4:41 PM EDT

A businessman who was one of the first supporters of drawing bike lanes on Spencer Street says the removal of a big bike rack on Wellington Street West nearly three years ago has given opponents some swagger.

“We empowered them,” Randy Kemp said. “All the whining and complaining paid off.”

Kemp, a former chairman of the Wellington West BIA and now the organization’s treasurer, said the conflict over the bike corral at Clarendon Avenue in 2014 set the stage for the current debate over putting bike lanes on Spencer Street. The city removed the bike corral, which was placed in a spot used for on-street parking, after receiving complaints about the lost vehicle space.

When the city replaced the underground infrastructure on Spencer Street, Kemp was one of the cycling advocates who reached out to Kitchissippi Coun. Jeff Leiper with the idea of putting bike lanes on each side of the residential road. Leiper liked the idea enough that he asked city staff to make it happen when the road reconstruction happens this year.

After hearing complaints from businesses and residents, Leiper helped organize an open house, which is Tuesday night, to gauge the community’s appetite for adding bike lanes and losing 97 on-street parking spots.

Kemp said he was thrilled when the city showed interest in drawing bike lanes on Spencer Street between Western and Holland avenues.

Now he’s shaking his head at the possibility of the plan being reversed.

“My first reaction is I’m really disappointed. I thought we were done with this battle between parking and cycling when it comes to parking that is not really utilized. It’s not even needed, and yet we have this raging battle between bike lanes and parking,” Kemp said.

“I expected better.”

A study has shown that parking demand on Spencer Street is low at peak times. Few homes front onto Spencer Street in that stretch.

But opponents of the plan don’t like the idea of losing street parking to accommodate narrow bike lanes when Spencer Street already operates as a well-used cycling connector route without the road markings. People have been signing petitions to stop the bike lanes and to call for more consultation before the plan is set in stone.

The final decision on the road design largely rests with Leiper.

Kemp, who owns residential and commercial properties in the Wellington West area, said the city needs to use the opportunity to expand cycling infrastructure and avoid “a bigger setback than what people realize.”

The open house Tuesday will be at the Ottawa Mosque’s Hall of Peace at 241 Northwestern Ave. from 7 p.m. to 9 p.m.

[email protected]
twitter.com/JonathanWilling

http://ottawacitizen.com/news/local-news...-blowback-angers-ottawa-cycling-advocate

And Sherwood if we can get 66+1% of residents on Sherwood to support the unused parking space being turned in a bike lane.

Notwithstanding that the stretch of Spencer in question is not in Hintonburg, the bike lane proposal is now dead in the water: http://kitchissippiward.ca/content/bike-lanes-spencer

We could call this cautionary tale: “Overzealous councillor acts quietly on behalf of vocal minority, then learns a lesson about the need for open consultation after the word leaks out.”

There's some pretty insightful comments from residents there too. And to think that this was very close to a fait accompli without many people even knowing about it!

No kidding. Where will those hundreds of residents park their cars?

https://pbs.twimg.com/media/C-SZ3g9XgAE9onS.jpg

Spencer street at 5PM on weekday via @ElieBourgett

Councillor bows to opposition over Spencer Street bike lanes

Jon Willing, Ottawa Citizen
Published on: April 25, 2017 | Last Updated: April 25, 2017 2:09 PM EDT

There will be no bike lanes on Spencer Street now that the area’s councillor has decided there isn’t enough support to swap street parking for the marked cycling zones.

Kitchissippi Ward Coun. Jeff Leiper wrote on his website Tuesday that there isn’t enough backing in the community to replace street parking with painted bike lanes between Western and Holland avenues. He says 55 per cent of the 160 emails he received oppose the plan.

“Some of this opposition was sometimes on the basis of assertions with which I disagree, but much of it has resonated with me,” Leiper wrote.

Leiper’s post came hours before an open house on the road design.

He had advocated a plan to draw bike lanes on Spencer Street after hearing from cycling advocates who suggested a new post-construction design. The idea involved replacing 97 on-street parking spaces with the narrow bike lanes.

Spencer Street, which is slated for road reconstruction after pipe and sewer upgrades, is considered a cycling connector route on the regional cycling map.

Opposition to the bike-lane plan has been building in recent weeks as homeowners and businesses decry the loss of parking on Spencer Street. Opponents say the street is a well-used and adequate cycling route that doesn’t require bike lanes.

On the other hand, cycling advocates see Spencer Streets as a prime opportunity to introduce bike-friendly infrastructure through the Hintonburg-Westboro corridor, especially since Wellington Street West is generally considered precarious for cyclists.

The final decision rests with Leiper, but he says he can’t prove to the city that there’s enough community support for the bike lanes.

A traffic-calming plan to install raised intersections at three places along the corridor won’t change, the councillor says.

The open house Tuesday will now be more like a drop-in rather than a town hall, Leiper says. It will be at the Ottawa Mosque’s Hall of Peace at 241 Northwestern Ave. from 7 p.m. to 9 p.m.

[email protected]
twitter.com/JonathanWilling

http://ottawacitizen.com/news/local-news...pposition-over-spencer-street-bike-lanes

He could learn from his colleagues Nussbaum and Fleury on how to ignore or bulldoze the opposition to pet projects.

Seems like there is plenty of room for cyclists, cars, parking and tumbleweeds under the current arrangement.

I don't disagree. This is not a good street for a cycling track. Ideally it should run on Wellington West, one block to the South.

Push to delay paid parking in Westboro, Wellington West fails
'No one in our area wants it,' business group says, but councillors call free parking unfair

Arthur White-Crummey · CBC News
Posted: Jun 27, 2024 2:51 PM EDT | Last Updated: 4 hours ago

https://i.imgur.com/wmVbqQP.png

An attempt to spare Westboro and Wellington West from paid parking until they have train service failed at committee Thursday, as Ottawa city councillors called it unfair to give just two neighbourhoods a break.

City staff conducted a study that showed high parking demand along Richmond Road and Wellington Street W., leaving frustrated drivers searching for spaces. The problem is only increasing as insufficient visitor parking at new buildings pushes more cars onto the street.

"At the busiest times, we're seeing a situation where there is a lack of available parking," said Scott Caldwell, Ottawa's manager of parking services.

"We don't want parking to be jammed. We want to ensure that on average you have one or two spaces per block, or two blocks, so that the next person coming into the area can find parking."

He told councillors that pricing those spaces at $3 an hour could drive turnover and open up spaces.

Elsbeth Vaino, vice-chair of the Wellington West Business Improvement District, said paid parking is currently the hottest topic of debate in the neighbourhood.

"No one in our area wants it," she said. "We've heard from zero members who are for it. We've heard from many, many that are opposed."

Vaino said businesses in the area are struggling, and paid parking might drive more customers to the spacious and free parking lots of the suburbs.

Above all, she worried about retail staff who don't have reliable transit options to get to work on time without a car.

But Caldwell said parking demand — and the resultant problems — is actually worse in the study area than on streets that already have paid parking.

Somerset Coun. Ariel Troster said she doesn't know how to answer when businesses in Chinatown, just to the east, ask: "Why does Wellington West have free parking and we don't?"

Knoxdale-Merivale Coun. Sean Devine had the same worry.

"For any other business in any other area, where their customers and staff do have to pay for parking, they would see what you are looking for as a competitive advantage," he told Vaino.

Kitchissippi Coun. Jeff Leiper, whose ward includes Wellington West and much of Westboro, proposed a motion to delay paid parking until the LRT west extension gives shoppers and workers a reliable alternative.

"Trying to get to work in Westboro could involve taking a bus to a bus to a bus," he said

He called the delay a "grand bargain" the city could strike with residents.

"We're going to put paid parking in," he said. "It's going to be more difficult for staff to find parking within the neighbourhood to work at the shops and the restaurants. But we're going to give them a train. That train is almost here."

Leiper's motion failed by a vote of eight to three.

After the defeat, Leiper told reporters he wasn't surprised by the vote at committee.

"You heard the, call it resentment, or the recognition of the inequity between a very vibrant shopping area in Hintonburg and Wellington West and Westboro that doesn't have paid parking today, versus those neighbourhoods that do have paid parking," he said.

"I think it would be difficult for many councillors to suggest that Wellington West and Westboro should be treated differently than other parts of town."

But even without the delay, Leiper said he will be voting for paid parking when it comes to council for a final vote. He said businesses are likely overestimating the damage it will do. As towers go up, there will be more and more customers moving into the area who can walk to those stores.

"I am not as cynical as some of the businesses may be expressing today that this is going to result in a devastation of our commercial area," he said.

Leiper rejected the argument that parking is free in the suburbs, since property owners tend to pass the cost on to their retail tenants, who in turn charge their customers higher prices.

"There is no such thing as free parking," he said.

If full council approves the plan, the earliest paid parking would arrive in Westboro and Wellington West would be the second quarter of 2025.

On-street parking rates are also set to change across the city if council passes the committee's recommendation for a new demand-based pricing system.

Staff will review parking demand twice a year. They'll aim to keep parking occupancy at between 50 and 85 per cent of all spaces, a range Caldwell called the "sweet spot."

If it drops below that rate during two consecutive periods, they'll decrease the cost of parking. If it rises higher, they'll hike the rates.

"As long as we're within that target zone, that 50 to 85 per cent, we'll keep rates where they are," Caldwell said. "But if it's too high, so above that 85 per cent zone, that's indicative that there needs to be more turnover — there needs to be a market answer to that."

Adjustments are already planned for 11 of the city's 20 parking zones. In August, rates in six zones will go up by 50 cents, and drop by 50 cents in four zones. In one, prices will rise by a dollar.

https://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/ottawa/pu...westboro-wellington-west-fails-1.7248634

I support paid parking, but I think it was reasonable to ask to delay it until Stage 2 opens. Anyone know how the vote was split?

What??? 50%-85% occupancy doesn't mean that there is optimal turn-over. And above 85% doesn'e mean that there needs to be more turn-over.

Occupancy and turn-over can sometimes be loosely connected; however, if there is a continuous stream of customers circling the blocks, taking the spots as they free up, the parking can always look 95% full, even though each vehicle stays for only 15 minutes. You can't really infer one from the other.

The reasons for paid parking can be many, but the main ones would likely be;
a) People are parking for long durations, thus making it more expensive to do so will encourage turn-over; and
b) The City wants the revenue.

Just because the spots appear full a lot of the time (and the article doesn't say whether there are many long-term parkers or if there is high turn-over) doesn't, by itself, justify paid parking for reason a). Thus, without other evidence, b) wins as the default reason that the City wants to add paid parking.

c) a lot of labour is involved in enforcing parking limits. It's easier to check receipts instead of chalking tires and coming back after to check again

I don't think that they 'chalk tires' any more. I expect that they simply use licence-recognition software that compares previous passes for lingering vehicles.

Hey, here's an idea; put the licence scanners on OC Transpo buses. Every bus if Web-connected, so they could have a record of parked vehicles every 15 minutes, or so, along that stretch - or any other section of road where buses travel.

Come to think of it, I wonder how that works. Does the licence reader create a list of GPS-tagged licence numbers and then compare them to a previous list? I guess that it would need to GPS-tag the numbers, since a car could leave and come back to a different spot within the time window. (i.e., move the car every hour) And what happens if the car returns to the same spot? (In the olden days, the chalk mark would have been in a different orientation, or worn off. Alas, gone are the days when you could simply spin the rear wheels - 'brake stand' - to look as if you had moved.)

How about putting a 'loop' (or some form of 'vehicle detector') under each parking spot and monitoring it to see if cars remain for longer than permitted.

What about installing cameras and letting a computer (A.I.?) monitor the parked vehicles. It could be done at long distances, since the computer would only be looking for changes in a string of 'blobs'. When a 'blob' changed, the timer would restart for that spot. If a timer reached its maximum limit, the 'Green Hornets' would be alerted.

There are lots of ways to enforce parking restrictions without setting a price on the spots. In this case, the City is using a 'passive' method that doesn't change what it does, much, but it pulls in a lot of money.

I'm still going with b).

They definitely still chalk tires on my street, and I have friends in the Glebe and it's the same there. Bylaw patrol usually drives by and chalks around mid morning and comes around three hours later. With limited resources they only do Westboro side streets once a week.

Interesting. I thought that they had moved on from 'chalking'. Thanks for the info.
Do they walk along and do it, or is there some automation, like a mechanical arm out the side of a vehicle that maybe blows chalk dust onto the tire?

It's a person in a car with a piece of chalk attached to a long stick, extending it out the window to do the marking. I get a lot of people who work at the businesses along Richmond Road parking on my street and they know the drill. They just come out on their lunch hour to shuffle their cars if they see chalk marks. Thus, despite the effort at enforcement, very few tickets get issued.

There is simply no sustainable way to enforce the 90-minute limit on Richmond road without spending a lot of resources on patrolling.

A 90 minute rule seems enforceable unless people move their car.

I wonder if a cheaper option would make sense for many areas. $1 an hour for example.

On-street parking rates expected to increase in many downtown neighbourhoods
Inflation and parking use patterns to determine which neighbourhoods will see rates increase or decrease.

Bruce Deachman, Ottawa Citizen
Published Jun 30, 2024 • Last updated 2 hours ago • 3 minute read

On-street parking rates are expected to increase in more than a half dozen Ottawa neighbourhoods this summer, including the ByWard Market Core, Little Italy South, the Glebe South and Downtown.

As well, Wellington Street West and Richmond Road in Wellington West, and Westboro are expected to lose their parking meter-free status.

The city’s transportation committee on Thursday voted 8-3 to approve a report recommending those changes. Full council is expected to support the report’s recommendations when it meets on July 10. The changes would come into effect in August.

The changes to parking rates, the first in Ottawa in five years, were determined throughout the city’s 20 on-street parking zones by both inflationary pressures and measured demand for parking in each zone.

As a result, four zones will see rates go down. Rideau, Terminal and Holland Cross rates will drop from $1.50 to $1 an hour, while the rate in Vanier will decrease from $2 an hour to $1.50.

There are currently three rates for the city’s nearly 3,800 metered parking spaces: $1.50, $2 and $3.50 an hour, with about 85 per cent of them, or roughly 3,200, at the highest level. According to the city’s 2024 budget, the maximum allowable rate it can charge is $4.50 an hour. Only one of the zones — Ruskin, by The Ottawa Hospital’s General campus, where the current rate is $3.50/hour — will reach that height.

The other six zones where parking rates will increase, including Chinatown and King Edward, will see an increase from $3.50 to $4/hour, a 14 per cent jump. According to the report, the new rates are expected to generate an additional $440,000 in annual revenue each year.

Nine zones will see no change in their rates: Constellation, War Museum, Little Italy North, ByWard North/East, Glebe North, Centretown North, Centretown South, Besserer and Rochester.

The three committee members who voted against adopting the report were Orléans East-Cumberland Coun. Matt Luloff, Osgoode Coun. George Darouze and Gloucester-Southgate Coun. Jessica Bradley.

Kitchissippi Coun. Jeff Leiper, who is not a member of the committee but whose ward is home to the West Wellington and Westboro neighbourhoods, cited retail workers’ difficulties finding parking when he asked the committee to consider delaying the approval of meters there until Stage 2 of LRT opens, expected to be in 2027.

And although his motion failed, Leiper said he would nonetheless support the report’s recommendations at full council next week.

Whether metered street parking in Kitchissippi will benefit area businesses remains to be seen. Beacon Hill-Cyrville Coun. Tim Tierney, who chairs the committee, believes it will.

“I think having parking in rotation will assist businesses,” he said. “We just heard the Trainyards … they don’t even have parking rates, and they’re going in the tank. So any assertion that those are correlated, I have a bit of a problem with.”

Tierney added on Sunday that he expects council will support the recommendations “no problem.” He noted, too, that while he’d generally like to support free parking, “when I put on my city hat, I have a fiduciary responsibility to make sure that we have equity across the board.”

“And let’s face it,” he added, “we don’t know when LRT will be ready.”

[email protected]

https://ottawacitizen.com/news/local-new...increase-in-many-downtown-neighbourhoods

New 'demand-based' parking rates debut in Ottawa
City will periodically adjust rates up or down by 50 cents

Jenna Legge · CBC News · Posted: Aug 12, 2024 4:00 AM EDT | Last Updated: 5 hours ago

https://i.imgur.com/JZY5qAP.png

Some parking rates in Ottawa are increasing Monday as part of the city's new "demand-based" pricing strategy.

Rates will go up "where demand for parking is very high to encourage turnover and create more available parking" and drop in places "where demand for parking is very low to increase demand," the city said in a statement last week.

The changes will affect 11 of 20 parking zones, with rates rising in seven of them and dropping in four.

In six zones, rates are increasing to $4 an hour:

• Little Italy South (Preston Street south of Highway 417, as well as on adjacent side streets).
• Chinatown (Somerset Street West and adjacent side streets from the O-Train tracks to Bronson Avenue).
• Glebe South (Bank Street and adjacent side streets between Holmwood and First avenues).
• Downtown (The area between Bronson Avenue and the Rideau Canal, north of Nepean Street).
• King Edward (King Edward Avenue between Mann Avenue and Osgoode Street).
• ByWard Core (The ByWard Market area from Rideau Street to Murray Street to Dalhousie Street — although not including Rideau or Dalhousie).

Parking rates will rise on Ruskin Street near The Ottawa Hospital's Civic campus to $4.50, hitting the maximum allowed under the 2024 budget.

Rates will drop from $1.50 to $1 an hour in the following zones:

• Holland Cross (Holland Avenue, Spencer Street and Hamilton Avenue North).
• Terminal (Terminal Avenue and Sandford Fleming Avenue).
• Rideau (Rideau Street and adjacent side streets, east of King Edward Avenue).

The Vanier zone (Montreal Road, Montgomery Street and Selkirk Street) will see rates drop from $2 to $1.50 an hour.

The city estimates the new pricing model, approved by council in 2019, will bring in roughly $440,000 in a year.

The rates will periodically be adjusted up or down by 50 cents to "ensure that parking is appropriately priced to best support businesses, institutions and tourism," the city said.

Some residents doubt that the change will be a positive one.

"I think the parking is already quite expensive," said Maggie Beigun, who spends time in the southern part of the Glebe.

Beigun worried that certain areas could fill up if drivers flock to less expensive zones.

"I think it'll cause a little more congestion in the cheaper areas," she said. "I don't think homeowners would like that a whole lot."

Ervin Jean-Pierre is often downtown and said the price increase won't deter him from driving.

"[If] you're running a business, or you need to do something downtown, you have no choice," he said. "I need to park down there, so then I'll be paying more."

Tourists and other folks who enjoy Ottawa's popular areas will have to pay more, Jean-Pierre said, despite other everyday costs already rising.

"People want to come out and have lunch and or dinner, which is already gone up in price. So I don't know if that's the solution," he said.

Some business owners in areas where parking costs will rise say they're also concerned.

"We'll have to hope for more local walking traffic and less commuter traffic," said David Saunders, whose spouse owns the Witch Chest, which recently opened in the Glebe.

"Given the fact that around here most of the parking is limited to two hours anyways, I'm not sure that by changing the rates you're actually going to free up more space — because there's regular turnaround."

https://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/ottawa/new-demand-based-parking-rates-debut-in-ottawa-1.7291322

Ottawa's controversial evening parking proposal generates mixed reactions in ByWard Market
Ottawa city staff recommended extending paid parking into the evening where parking demand is more than 80 per cent.

By Paula Tran, Ottawa Citizen
Published May 18, 2025 | Last updated 6 hours ago

A controversial proposal to extend evening parking rules in popular shopping districts in Ottawa has garnered mixed reactions from businesses and residents.

According to a report to the city’s public works and infrastructure committee, city staff recommended extending paid parking into the evening where parking demand is more than 80 per cent. Under this new plan, motorists will have to pay for parking until 9 p.m. on weekend and weekdays in the ByWard Market, King Edward Avenue and parts of Little Italy (Preston Street south of Highway 417 as well as on the immediately adjacent side streets) that meet the threshold.

Currently, on-street paid parking is in effect until 5:30 p.m. from Monday to Saturday and free all day on Sunday in the ByWard Market.

“The purpose of paid parking is to encourage turnover, which has the effect of making more parking available at any given point in time. This has the potential for a number of benefits,” the report read.

“For example, visitors will have more choices and experience less frustration when trying to find parking at busier times. There will also be more available convenient parking for those with accessibility issues. More available parking will also lead to less ‘cruising’ for parking which reduces traffic and the resulting impacts.”

Dave Mangano, co-owner of Grand Pizzeria and Bar, said the city’s proposal is a big concern because free parking is important for business. The busiest time for restaurants, bars and retailers is 5:30 p.m. to 9:30 p.m. every day.

“Any time you eliminate parking from that from that time period, it’s going to be detrimental to business,” Mangano said.

“We have been working with the city over the last week to try and come up with a reasonable solution to this that that benefits everybody.”

He added the proposed changes will have a bigger impact on retailers than restaurants and grocers, which cater to a larger demographic. While Mangano appreciates bike lanes and pedestrianization efforts, he said there needs to be a balance.

“We are a car society, and we are realizing that we need parking. We need parking infrastructure that benefits the businesses,” he said.

“I’m not sure what that balance would be, but we’re working towards finding one, at least, that allows the smaller businesses to be prosperous.”

The Lowertown Community Association also opposed the proposal, saying the move will exacerbate traffic congestion on narrow neighbourhood side streets and make it more dangerous for pedestrians in these neighbourhoods. Residents on King Edward Avenue will also see their quality of life lowered as more trucks and cars pass through the area, it said.

<more>

https://ottawacitizen.com/news/ottawa-paid-parking-changes

It bothers me to no end that people like Dave seem to fail to grasp that charging for parking is literally and solely for the convenience of drivers. Free parking is great, but if there are no available spots because it's free, then what good is it to a potential customer?

And the LCA, useful as ever, fails to grasp that much of the traffic around the neighbourhood is just people circling the block looking for one of these elusive spots. If charging a dollar means that there are free spots on every block, then there's no need to keep driving round and round. And why going from 100% occupancy to 80% occupancy of parking spots on King Edward would somehow materialize more traffic is a complete mystery.

It would be one thing if pro-car talking points like free parking and more lanes actually made driving more convenient or easier. But they don't even help the people they claim to.

Plan for paid street parking during evenings, weekends frustrates business owners
Changes will mean ‘more choice and less frustration’ for drivers, city says

Ben Andrews · CBC News
Posted: May 20, 2025 4:00 AM EDT | Last Updated: May 20

A plan to extend paid street parking hours into the evenings and weekends in high-traffic neighbourhoods is drawing the ire of some Ottawa business owners.

City staff are recommending a range of reforms to an on-street parking regime that's been the norm in Ottawa for decades.

Among the most significant changes are proposals to add five new paid parking zones, extend paid hours into the evenings and add paid Sunday parking in some high-traffic areas.

The new parking rules would promote vehicle turnover to give visitors "more choice and less frustration," according to a city report, but some business owners in the most affected neighbourhoods aren't convinced.

"Anyone that's in business, it will bother them, yes," said Paolo Di Rienzo, owner of Di Rienzo Grocery and Deli near Little Italy.

"They should leave it at least the way it is, because they already make enough money anyway."

In the ByWard Market, The Grand Pizzeria co-owner David Mangano called the proposed parking rules a "big concern."

"Anything that affects parking in the market, negatively, we're against," he said. "We need as many people to come to the market as we possibly can."

<more>

https://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/ottawa/ottawa-paid-street-parking-1.7538356

City shouldn't kill ByWard Market's free on-street parking
The new proposal is a cash grab disguised as a parking solution

By Randall Denley, Ottawa Citizen
Published May 20, 2025 | Last updated 2 hours ago

For years, the good people at Ottawa City Hall have wrung their hands over the decline of the ByWard Market, making plans for a fanciful future while in reality the Market’s situation steadily worsens.

Doing nothing is one thing, but now councillors are being advised to make things even more challenging for businesses in the Market. Thursday, councillors will consider a staff recommendation to eliminate free on-street parking on evenings and Sundays in the Market and some other shopping areas.

The city says it wants more people to come to the Market, but how will charging more for parking produce that result?

Here’s the city’s explanation. “The data showed that in several paid areas of the city, parking demand was high at different times, including evenings and weekends when there is currently no paid parking. This suggests a lack of available parking, which has negative implications on businesses and the community as a whole.”

Let’s break that down. Heavily utilized free parking might seem like a good thing for businesses, but no, it’s actually bad. According to city staff’s thinking, making people pay for parking and then compelling them to leave the spot in two hours is a great way to encourage more people to come to the Market.

Some might argue that two hours is a bit of a rush. What if people wanted to look around at stores and then go out to dinner? Or even if they wanted to linger over their dinner, maybe have a drink and talk to friends? These activities are discouraged by the two-hour parking limit. You’re to have your fun and move along as quickly as possible so another person can take your place. What do people think this is, Europe?

City staff envision that this brilliant new strategy will make more parking spaces available.

“The purpose of paid parking is to encourage turnover, which has the effect of making more parking available at any given point in time. This has the potential for a number of benefits,” the staff report says.

“For example, visitors will have more choices and experience less frustration when trying to find parking at busier times. There will also be more available convenient parking for those with accessibility issues. More available parking will also lead to less ‘cruising’ for parking which reduces traffic and the resulting impacts.”

That assessment is at least partly correct. Parking spots will be easier to find because the new charges and time limits will deter people from coming to the Market or other affected areas including the Glebe and Little Italy.

Let’s be blunt, the new parking plan is a cash grab disguised as a parking solution.

City staff’s report says its expansion of paid street parking into evenings and Sunday will net the city $3 million. That doesn’t include the likely additional parking ticket revenue collected from those who can’t scurry back to their cars quickly enough.

That $3 million is a significant increase in the city’s parking take. In 2024, the city collected $18.04 million in revenue from parking with $8.86 million of that from on-street spots. The city’s annual report on parking services says operating an on-street parking spot costs a surprising $2,188 a year.

The cost of providing paid parking in 2024 totalled $16.61 million. Of that, $1.61 million was administration and $920,000 went to studies. After all that collecting and spending, only $1.43 million was left over as a contribution to the city’s parking reserve fund.

The ByWard Market is considered a city-wide attraction. It’s nice for those who live nearby to walk or cycle to the Market, but the success of businesses there depends on reaching a broader clientele. That means people who drive cars and require parking. Yes, the city does provide paid parking in its garages, if you can find a spot, but free parking is a way to encourage people outside the core to come to the Market at no real cost to the city.

Killing free parking just adds another challenge to the Market’s long list. Other than money, what’s the point?

Randall Denley is an Ottawa journalist and author. Contact him at [email protected]

https://ottawacitizen.com/opinion/denley-city-shouldnt-kill-byward-markets-free-on-street-parking

I used to go downtown much more often than I do now. During the day, I was mostly traveling alone, so I traveled on public transit. I was willing to drive people downtown on weekends and evenings because the World Exchange Plaza had free underground parking. We would walk from there to where we wanted to go. The free parking was a definite incentive.

I am ready to pay for parking, but it needs to be reasonable. One Christmas, I wanted to buy a particular calendar for a relative. I could find only one in Ottawa, and it was at 240 Sparks. I drove down, because I was in a hurry, and parked in the outside lot at Queen and Kent. I bought the $10 calendar and looked around for a short bit before returning to the car. I was a couple of minutes over the hour, so parking came to $20. That was a major disincentive to go downtown again to do any Christmas shopping. (I enjoyed driving to Billings Bridge Mall at Christmas time. It, of course, was free parking, but more importantly, it had wandering carolers strolling the mall.)

I still would take people downtown for a meal or a show, but we would wait until parking at the World Exchange was free, after 17:30 or on a week-end. Once that free parking ended, I felt that the $2 charged at the City Hall lot was not outrageous. Then that cost jumped up 50% to $3. Still not crazy, but I went downtown less often. (I guess that I have a pretty low threshold.)

There is something about free parking that seems to outweigh the hassle of driving into the core. Having the free parking after 17:30 meant that people could plan for an evening in the market, or at the Buskers, or to grab some ribs, without feeling as if it was costing extra.

If the city NEEDS to create greater churn of on-street parking spaces, it needs to provide an alternative. OK, charge for on-street parking, but make parking in structures free in the evenings. But this is not what the City does. It increases the cost on-street AND raises the cost of parking in structures. (This city does not appear to understand the ‘carrot’ part of coaxing. They love to, for example, remove road lanes, saying that it will encourage people to use transit – but then they also make transit harder to use.)

The city is spread out, with lots of local amenities scattered around it. But it also has several regional amenities. These draw people from all across the city. With the state of public transit, many will choose to drive – or not go. For those who drive, there needs to be a reasonable way for them to store their car while there.

The city needs a lot more parking structures. The one in The Glebe, for example is full by 09:00 on summer week-ends. There were over 1,400 parking tickets given out during the Tulip Festival. Those folks will think twice about going again. Many years ago, Majic 100 offered a free outdoor movie night at Britannia Beach. My brother-in-law drove a bunch down and found parking quite limited. He parked diagonally into a corner, making sure that he didn’t block the cars on either side. He returned to find a $60 parking ticket. All of the drivers who were not in official spots were ticketed, including all of those who parked on the grass around the parking lot and along the lane. There were dozens of parking tickets handed out at the ‘free’ movie. I know that my brother-in-law has not gone to any free event like that again, and probably never will. Once burned, twice shy.

I know that the City simply says ‘Take public transit.” But that is not a realistic option. I used to cycle to downtown in 22 minutes; it takes over an hour now on the bus/train. If a parent is taking a group of teens, each of them will need to pay full transit fare, both directions. That adds up. Regional attractions REQUIRE enough parking for the number of cars that they draw in.

In the case of the By Ward Market, the City should be looking at a HUGE parking structure under York, with easy access to Sussex (and maybe Rideau and King Edward). This captures cars BEFORE they start driving around within the market area. Then this can become a pedestrian area on the surface, but still easily accessible from anywhere in the city.

Paid parking expansion limited to 7:30 p.m. as committee passes compromise
Coun. Ariel Troster's motion also axes proposal for paid parking on Sunday

Arthur White-Crummey · CBC News
Posted: May 22, 2025 12:32 PM EDT | Last Updated: 1 hour ago

Ottawa city councillors have voted to pare back proposed parking changes that would have extended paid parking late into the evenings and on Sundays.

City staff initially wanted to charge for parking until 9 p.m. in areas including the ByWard Market and parts of Little Italy and the Glebe. In areas that currently have paid parking on Saturdays, paid parking would also apply on Sundays.

But Somerset Coun. Ariel Troster introduced a motion to limit the evening paid hours to 7:30 p.m. and axe the extension of paid parking to Sundays. Her motion would then have staff report back in 2027 on how the new hours are working.

Troster called it a compromise motion that would give the city a chance to assess the data.

"There are a lot of concerns here, and I think the compromise motion that I'm putting forward acknowledges that and gives us a little bit more time," she said.

"I don't think this will have a huge impact on business, but if I'm wrong we have another chance to look at this in 2027."

But several business owners disagreed. They came to committee to oppose any move to extend paid parking into the evening.

Darrel Cox of the Ottawa Coalition of Business Improvement Areas said it would be yet another burden for businesses dealing with tariffs and other economic challenges.

Dave Mangano from The Grand Pizzeria & Bar in the ByWard Market said paid parking makes it tough to compete with big box businesses that offer ample free parking.

Todd Brown, a partner in a group of downtown restaurants including Pure Kitchen and the Clocktower, said the proposed changes will drive away diners and devastate business.

"We're in a really tough time for restaurants," he said. "Consumers are not willing to pay more money."

But Cassie Smith of the non-profit EnviroCentre cited research showing that drivers searching for parking adds significantly to traffic and greenhouse gas emissions.

"Paid parking makes it easier for drivers to find a spot where and when they need it," Smith said.

In her view, that will actually attract more customers for business. She described free parking as a subsidy for cars and asked the city to level the playing field for more sustainable modes of transportation.

"Charging for parking is good economic, social and environmental policy," Smith said.

City staff had proposed the changes to promote turnover in high-demand parking areas. The extended hours would only be added in areas where evening or weekend demand exceeds 80 per cent of spaces.

Staff conducted a review of other cities that showed most have both evening and weekend paid parking hours.

"All of the data from every other major city that has done this says, yes, it is going to work," said Troster. "And the only way we are going to know is if we try."

Troster's compromise motion won wide support at the public works and infrastructure committee, including from chair Tim Tierney.

"I think the compromise to 7:30 is good," he said.

Only Knoxdale-Merivale Coun. Sean Devine voted against the motion at committee. He said he supports the more ambitious staff recommendations.

The committee's decision isn't final, since a full meeting of council will have a chance to weigh in. If the changes do pass, they would take effect in September.

The changes would also affect areas that don't yet have paid parking but are due to get it later this year. That includes parts of Richmond Road, where staff are proposing extending evening parking on weekdays.

While the southern section of Little Italy South and the ByWard Market would get evening paid parking on both weekdays and weekends, the south Glebe would only see hours extended into the evenings on weekdays, not weekends.

https://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/ottawa/pa...as-committee-passes-compromise-1.7541033

Should Ottawa tow all vehicles from streets during winter parking bans? City staff say no

By Josh Pringle, CTV News
Published: June 13, 2025 at 7:35AM EDT

City of Ottawa staff are burying the idea of towing vehicles from city streets during winter parking bans, saying there would be insufficient space in impound lots and a lack of staff and towing resources to tow all vehicles.

Bylaw Services officers issued 10,678 parking tickets for failing to observe winter weather parking bans between Feb. 12 and 18. That resulted in more than $1.1 million in fines. The City of Ottawa issues parking bans to allow crews to clear snow during heavy snowfall events, and only vehicles with an on-street parking permit permitted to park on city streets.

Barrhaven Coun. David Hill asked staff what would it cost if “a more aggressive policy was taken to proactively tow vehicles” that are currently fined for violating parking bans during snowstorms.

In response to Hill’s inquiry for the emergency preparedness and protective services committee, staff said that, for “various reasons,” it would not be recommended to implement a policy to proactively tow all vehicles violating a winter weather parking ban.

Staff say there would be a lack of available tow trucks because collisions are treated as a priority for towing companies over an illegally parked vehicle. The City of Ottawa contracts towing services to private companies.

“Based on the number of parking tickets issued during the Winter Weather Parking Bans in February 2025, there would be insufficient space in the designated impound lot in the east end of the city to store all impounded vehicles,” staff said. “Further, significant time would be lost physically moving vehicles from their current location to the impound lot and then returning to the area where tows would be required.”

The report notes a Bylaw officer would be required to remain at the scene until each vehicle is towed, “which further delays Bylaw and Regulatory Services’ response to subsequent illegal parked vehicles.”

Other issues flagged by the staff include:

• On-street parking permits: Staff say it would be necessary to “rescind” the policy allowing vehicles with on-street parking permits to park on streets during winter weather parking bans.
• Resourcing and scale: “Due to the vast scale of the operations and geographic size of the city, there would not be sufficient resources, both within RPS and BLRS, to provide adequate coverage of the city if a towing model were to be implemented,” staff said.
• Liability to the city: “Each time a vehicle is towed, particularly in adverse weather conditions, there is a risk of accidental damage. This increases the risk of liability and claims to the city,” the report said.
• Impact on residents and businesses: “A model whereby all vehicles were to be towed would significantly affect residents and local businesses who may not have access to private parking. It would also greatly affect the ability of businesses to conduct deliveries and of parents to drop off and pick up their children from school,” the report says.

If the City of Ottawa implemented a towing policy, staff say the winter weather parking bans would need to be “expanded to several days” to effectively tow all vehicles parked violating a parking ban.

The report concludes “it would not be recommended to implement a policy” to tow all vehicles violating the winter weather parking ban on City of Ottawa streets.

“Concerns regarding specific problematic streets will continue to be addressed on a case-by-case basis,” the response said.

https://www.ctvnews.ca/ottawa/article/sh...g-winter-parking-bans-city-staff-say-no/

Only tow repeat offenders?

I got a ticket at 5:08am when the ban ended at 7am. The street was perfectly plowed and I had been parking since roughly 3am. I had to park on the street because our own snow removal was so poor in our lot I quite was certain I wouldn't make it into my spot without getting stuck and I didn't feel like digging. I made up to my unit and saw the snow company had for some reason took all the snow out of the visitor spots and dumped it into the main isle, mostly where I would need to back up and then left. Still wondering about that one.

Our snow removal this year was very poor and I obtained correspondence between management and the snow company stating as such. Oh.. and I had documents showing I had just been released from the hospital with a pulmonary embolism the week before. Oh.. and I just got back from shoveling snow for 12 hours haha. I filmed a video with the snow up to my knees. I think this was around 36 hour after the snow started.

For context our lot is on a hill and my parking space is at an angle. You have to go lock-to-lock front and back to get into my spot while knicking the curb on the inside and touching the curb with the front wheels before backing up. I've been here for 5 years and even in perfect weather I still have to adjust my line from time to time to not swipe my neighbors car. #fullsizevanlife

A quick email to the city with supporting evidence had my ticket turned over in less than 24 hours.

Why get tow trucks involved? Stupid do nothing idea.

Furthermore... why are they issuing tickets after the road has been cleared? We are paying moron councillors to discuss this idiot topic and paying bylaw officers to wipe the drool from their chin on the cities dime.