Motorists will need to pay to park on city streets in ByWard Market, Little Italy during the evenings starting this fall

A city report recommends extending paid on-street parking on evenings and Sundays in high-demand areas.

Drivers will soon have to pay to park on city streets during the evenings in the ByWard Market and in parts of Little Italy and the Glebe.

A City of Ottawa report recommends extending the paid parking periods at on-street parking spots to weekday and weekend evenings and on Saturdays and Sundays in high-demand areas starting in September, to encourage vehicle turnover in popular areas.

The changes will result in $3 million in additional parking meter revenue a year, according to the city.

Currently, motorists must pay to park until 5:30 p.m. on weekdays in 18 of 20 zones across the city, and on Saturdays in 10 zones, including in the ByWard Market, Glebe and Vanier areas.

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A report for the Public Works and Infrastructure Committee meeting on May 22 recommends extending paid on-street parking into the evenings and on Sundays in areas where demand is at 80 per cent for parking spots.

Under the plan, motorists will be required to pay for on-street parking until 9 p.m. on weekdays and weekend evenings in the ByWard Market and parts of Little Italy, and paid on-street parking will be extended to Sunday in the ByWard Market, Little Italy and the Glebe. Paid parking will be introduced in the downtown core on weekends.

Here is a look at the proposed areas for extended parking hours on evenings and weekends:

• ByWard Market, Besserer and King Edward areas: Paid on-street parking extended to weekday and weekend evenings and to Sunday (paid parking currently in effect on Saturday)
• Little Italy South (paid parking on Preston Street south of Highway 417 as well as on adjacent streets): Paid on-street parking extended to 9 p.m. on weekday and weekend evenings and to Saturday and Sunday.
• Glebe South (Bank Street and adjacent side streets between Holmwood Avenue and First Avenue): Paid on-street parking extended to 9 p.m. on weekday evenings and to Sunday (paid parking currently in effect on Saturday)
• Downtown (between Bronson Avenue and the Rideau Canal, north of Gilmour Street to Parliament Hill): Paid on-street parking extended to Saturday and Sunday from 10 a.m. to 5:30 p.m.
• Glebe North (Bank Street and immediately adjacent side streets between Hwy. 417 and First Avenue): Paid on-street parking extended to Sunday (paid parking currently in effect on Saturday). Parking will remain free during the evening.

There will be a two-hour parking limit at paid on-street parking spaces.

“The purpose of paid parking is to encourage turnover which has the effect of making more parking available at any given point in time,” staff said. “This has the potential for a number of benefits. For example, visitors will have more choices and experience less frustration when trying to find parking at busier times. More available parking will also lead to less ‘cruising’ for parking, which reduces traffic and the resulting impacts.”

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Staff say the recommendations for paid on-street parking changes come after a review of parking occupancy data during the spring and fall of 2023 and 2024.

“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,” the report says. “This suggests a lack of available parking, which has negative implications on businesses and the community as a whole.”

Coun. Tim Tierney, the chair of the Public Works and Infrastructure Committee, told CTV News Ottawa last month the extended parking hours will be “very targeted,” and designed to encourage turnover in parking spots.

“It’s really to avoid people parking a vehicle and then disappearing for seven hours, where that spot could be used by someone that wants to come down to a nice restaurant, but they only need it for a couple of hours,” Tierney said. “It’s really working to make sure that businesses see more people come through their doors.”

Staff note most major Canadian cities charge for parking “to some extent” in the evening and on Sunday.

The new evening and weekend parking charges will begin on September 3, with staff saying it will be phased in over two or three weeks due to the signage and programming changes required.

As part of the proposed changes, parking fees for on-street parking in the Rideau (parking on Rideau Street and adjacent side streets east of King Edward Avenue) and War Museum (parking on Wellington Street between Portage Bridge and Vimy Place) will be lifted on Saturdays and Sundays due to a lack of demand.

Parking on streets in Vanier will be free on Saturday and Sunday, according to the report. Motorists must currently pay at on-street parking spots in the Vanier area on Saturday.

Changes in parking hours

The report also recommends changes to the on-street parking hours in all commercial areas to harmonize the start and end times. Currently, weekday daytime parking hours start at 8 a.m., 8:30 a.m. or 9 a.m., depending on the area.

If approved, paid parking hours will begin at 8:30 a.m. on weekdays and 10 a.m. on Saturday and Sunday. Paid parking will end at 5:30 p.m. in areas with free weekday and weekend evening parking and 9 p.m. where there is paid on-street parking during the evenings.

“The end time of 9 p.m. was selected to promote turnover in the busiest hours while also allowing for flexibility when it comes to people who require longer stays during the evening/at night,” staff said.

The City of Ottawa expects the changes to parking periods and extended hours will result in $3 million in new revenues a year.

Wellington West/Westboro

When the city introduces paid on-street parking in the Wellington West and Westboro area later this year, there will be evening paid parking zones.

Staff say motorists will have to pay to park in the Richmond West zone until 9 p.m.

Paid on-street parking will also be in effect in the Churchill, Richmond West, Wellington West and Hintonburg areas on Saturdays and Sundays.

Councillors will debate the recommendations during the May 22 meeting of the Public Works and Infrastructure Committee.