City of Ottawa increasing no-stopping zone fines as part of plan to keep traffic moving

A parking ticket on a vehicle in Ottawa on Monday, Aug. 25. (Dave Charbonneau/CTV News Ottawa)

Ottawa drivers will want to watch where they stop and park on streets in the downtown area this fall, or they will face higher penalties for no-stopping and no-parking violations.

The City of Ottawa’s 48-point plan to keep commuters moving on OC Transpo and in private vehicles includes extending no-parking and no-stopping times on some downtown streets and increasing fines by $65 for no-stopping zone violations.

With federal public servants required to be in the office for a minimum of four days per week and students returning to universities and colleges in the fall, the City is expecting an additional 65,000 additional weekly trips into the downtown core.

To help keep traffic moving, the city is extending the peak morning and afternoon no-parking and no-stopping times by 30 minutes on several downtown streets.

The no-parking/no-stopping times will be extended to 9:30 a.m. during the morning commute and from 5:30 p.m. to 6 p.m. during the afternoon commute.

“The intent of these changes is to improve traffic flow and network reliability by reducing lane obstructions that can contribute to congestion, transit delays, and impacts on emergency vehicle access,” staff said.

As of Sept. 1, the fine for stopping in a no-stopping area in the downtown corridor will increase from $130 to $195, with an early payment option of $165. The fine for a no-parking zone violation in the downtown core will increase from $90 to $135, with an early payment option of $105.

“These changes are intended to improve compliance with parking regulations in the downtown area, where illegal stopping and parking have a greater impact on traffic flow, transit operations, emergency vehicle access, and overall public safety,” staff said.

Since June 4, 2025, Bylaw Services officers have issued 22,409 parking penalties for stopping in a no-stopping zone and 832 parking tickets for parking in no-parking zones during peak hours on downtown corridors.

The “critical downtown corridors” that will see increased fines for no-parking and no-stopping violations are:

• Albert Street from Mackenzie King Bridge to Bayview Station Road
• Bank Street from Wellington Street to Riverside Drive North
• Bronson Avenue from Wellington Street to Sunnyside Avenue
• Catherine Street between Elgin Street and Bronson Avenue
• Dalhousie Street between Boteler Street and Besserer Street
• Elgin Street between Wellington Street and Queen Elizabeth Drive
• Gladstone Avenue between Elgin Street and Parkdale Avenue
• Isabella Street from Elgin Street to Bank Street
• Kent Street between Wellington Street and Catherine Street
• King Edward Avenue from Cathcart Street to Mann Avenue
• Laurier Avenue from Charlotte Street to Bronson Avenue
• Lyon Street from Wellington Street to Catherine Street
• Main Street between Colonel By Drive and Riverdale Avenue
• Metcalfe Street from Wellington Street to Isabella Street
• Rideau Street between Wurtemburg Street and Elgin Street East
• Slater Street between Mackenzie King Bridge and Bronson Avenue
• Somerset Street from Elgin Street to Kent Street
• St. Patrick Street between Vanier Parkway and Sussex Drive
• Sussex Drive between Rideau Street and King Edward Avenue
• Wellington Street between Elgin Street East and Commissioner Street
• Scott Street between Bayview Avenue and Churchill Avenue

The City of Ottawa will spend $25,000 to extend peak morning and afternoon no-parking/no-stopping by 30 minutes on select downtown streets, and $11,000 to install signs identifying drop-off and pick-up locations on downtown streets.

Council approved the Transportation and Mobility Strategy and Action Plan on Wednesday, which includes $29 million in investments in transit service enhancements and traffic management and monitoring capabilities.

The plan includes $20 million for the Bowesville LRT Park and Ride Facility, $3.92 million for the construction of the Moodie Drive sidewalk connection from Moodie Station to the Department of National Defence Campus, $300,000 to continue Express bus routes between Blair Station and downtown Ottawa and $300,000 to purchase additional traffic cameras.

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