Bylaw officers stepping up parking tickets in Ottawa

More parking tickets are being handed out in Ottawa this year compared to last and it’s not just happening downtown. CTV’s Natalie van Rooy reports.

It appears bylaw officers are stepping up enforcement in the capital. New data obtained by CTV News Ottawa shows more parking tickets are being handed out this year compared to 2024.

It’s not just downtown, drivers in the suburbs say they’re finding more and more unwelcome pieces of paper on their windshields.

Armaan Bhir and his brother have received hundreds of dollars worth of parking tickets on Via Verona Avenue in Barrhaven.

“I was parking right outside my house. I think I might have probably put it on about $400 to $500 in just the last two years,” said Bhir. He said that includes tickets for both himself and his brother.

They’ve been fined for different reasons, whether parking too long on the street or a tire touching the curb. It’s frustrating for the Barrhaven resident who shares the driveway with his family.

“They can at least knock on the door if it’s half a curb or something,” he said. “I’ve never gotten a warning or a knock on the door.”

Bhir said he warns his friends before they visit to be mindful of street parking and offers space on his driveway if there is any.

Bylaw officers are on track to issue more fines for time limit parking infractions in 2025 compared to last year.

In 2024, officers handed out 35,432 tickets to vehicles parked in excess of the permitted time on an unsigned street. So far this year, officers have issued 20,010 tickets for parking in excess of the time limit on streets without parking limit signs.

“I’m allowed to park for three hours, I may have been a little bit over it, but again, it’s absurd around here,” said John Eaton, who received a ticket on Via Verona Avenue a few weeks ago.

Whether or not there’s a sign posted, the rules for street parking in Ottawa are consistent across the downtown core and in the suburbs. During the week, you can’t park more than three hours from 7 a.m. to 7p.m. in one place. On weekends, it’s six hours.

The fine for parking more than posted time limits is $70. It’s $50 if you pay right away.

“My parents extended the driveway, so we’d have more room to park and not have to worry about that, but it does become like a bit of a concern when we have visitors over and stuff like that,” said Lara Simard, who lives in Barrhaven.

Simard says parking tickets all along Via Verona Avenue happens all the time.

“My boyfriend was parked for a little over three hours in the winter and got a ticket,” she said. “Bylaw comes here all the time, my grandma got one a few times as well.”

Bylaw was not available for an on-cameras interview, but in a statement to CTV News said in part: “Bylaw is not currently conducting a targeted parking enforcement blitz; however, officers continue to proactively and reactively enforce overtime parking regulations to support parking turnover and maintain traffic flow in residential areas.

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