Motorists will notice the parking ticket on their windshield is yellow today, as part of a series of changes to parking tickets issued in the City of Ottawa. The changes to the parking ticket colour and the timeline for drivers to pay a ticket comes as the City of Ottawa prepares for more vehicles travelling into the downtown core this fall, with public servants required to be in the office for a minimum of four days a week. Bylaw Services officers will now be issuing yellow parking tickets to motorists instead of white tickets. “The colour of the tickets will change from white to yellow, making it easier to see on your windshield,” the city said. The City of Toronto also issues yellow parking tickets. Longer to pay early fine option The city is also giving drivers an extra week to pay the early payment fine for a parking ticket as part of changes to the Parking Administrative Penalties System Bylaw. The City of Ottawa offers an early payment penalty for parking infractions, giving drivers a timeline to pay the fine at a cheaper rate, with the penalty updated to the “set fine” after a set period of time. For example, the fine for parking in excess of the posted time limit is $70, with an early payment option of $50. As of Tuesday, drivers will have up to 15 days to pay the early payment fine, up from seven days, with the set fine applying on the 16th day after the ticket was issued. The first reminder notice will also be issued to registered owners. The period to pay the set fine also increases from 30 days to 45 days, and a late fee will apply after 45 days. “With these changes, the timeline before a ticket reaches default will increase from 61 days to 76 days after the ticket is issued,” the city said. “At this default stage, the automatic renewal of your licence plate may be denied until all outstanding fees are paid.” Challenging the ticket Drivers now have extra time to challenge the parking ticket. Starting Tuesday, you have up to 15 days to request a review of the ticket by a screening officer. The timeline for special circumstances has been increased to 45 days. Increasing fines In September, the fine for violations in no-stopping and no-parking areas in downtown Ottawa will increase. 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. 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. 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.
