New on-street parking rules for ByWard Market, Glebe, Little Italy and Westboro coming in September

Motorists will have to pay to park on city streets in the ByWard Market and parts of Little Italy on evenings and Saturdays starting in September, as the City of Ottawa introduces changes to paid on-street parking.

Council approved a series of changes to on-street paid parking hours in high-demand commercial areas last Spring, after staff said the expanded paid parking will encourage turnover in parking spots.

Under the changes to take effect in September, motorists will need to pay to park at on-street meters until 7:30 p.m. on weekday evenings and on Saturdays in the ByWard Market and Little Italy South, while paid on-street parking will be extended until 7:30 p.m. on weekday evenings in the Glebe.

The city says the extended parking hours will begin in September, but don’t provide a date. Here is a look at the areas for extended parking hours.

• ByWard Market, Besserer and King Edward areas: Paid on-street parking extended to 7:30 p.m. on weekdays and Saturday evenings.
• Little Italy South (paid parking on Preston Street south of Highway 417 as well as on adjacent streets): Paid on-street parking extended to 7:30 p.m. on weekdays and Saturdays from 10 a.m. to 7:30 p.m.
• Glebe South (Bank Street and adjacent side streets between Holmwood Avenue and First Avenue): Paid on-street parking extended to 7:30 p.m. on weekday evenings. Paid parking will end at 5:30 p.m. on Saturdays.
• Downtown (Nepean street and to the north): Paid on-street parking extended to Saturday from 10 a.m. to 5:30 p.m.

Paid on-street parking is being removed from Vanier and Rideau streets on Saturdays starting in September.

According to information posted on the ByWard Market’s website, the paid parking changes will be implemented gradually as the pay and display machines are re-programmed.

“The whole operation is expected to take a few weeks during September, with each new implementation and change being clearly communicated in the affected areas,” the ByWard Market said.

“For greater clarity, additional visible reference points will be added to the machines where paid parking times are being extended, aside from the existing rate cards.”

Other changes to paid parking at parking meters include:

• Harmonized start times for paid on-street parking in commercial areas (8:30 a.m. on weekdays and 10 a.m. on Saturdays)
• Paid on-street parking hours will be extended from 5:30 p.m. to 7:30 p.m. on weekdays where peak demand is high (when occupancy reaches or exceeds 80 per cent capacity)
• Daytime paid on-street parking will be implemented on Saturday from 10 a.m. to either 5:30 p.m. or 7:30 p.m. if peak demand is high
• When capacity reaches or drops below 50 per cent, the removal of paid on-street parking will be considered

Wellington West/Westboro

Drivers visiting Wellington West and Westboro will be required to pay for on-street parking starting in September.

The city says the pay and display machines will be activated in “early September,” and motorists will need to pay for a ticket.

“These changes were based on occupancy data collected during the 2023 Kitchissippi Parking Study, which showed consistent high demand, particularly during daytime and weekends,” the city says.

“Start times, time limits, and weekend hours were designed to reflect the area’s local business hours, activity patterns and accessibility considerations.”

The five paid parking zones being introduced in Westboro and Wellington West are:

• Churchill
• Wellington Village
• Hintonburg
• Richmond West
• Richmond East

According to the city report in 2024, paid parking will be implemented in the following areas:

• Richmond Road from Broadview Avenue to Island Park Drive
• Wellington Street West from Island Park Drive to Garland Street
• Somerset Street West from Garland Street to Breezehill Avenue North
• Danforth Avenue from Roosevelt Avenue to Churchill Avenue
• Churchill Avenue from Scott Street to Byron Avenue
• Holland Avenue from Spencer Street to Wellington Street West