Ottawa converting ByWard Market parking garage to 3 hour pay-and-display ticketing system

The gated parking garage on Clarence Street in the ByWard Market. (File photo)

New rules will be introduced at a popular municipal parking lot in the ByWard Market this spring to encourage vehicle turnover in the Ottawa tourist area.

Mayor Mark Sutcliffe announced on Thursday that the city will convert the parking garage at 70 Clarence Street to a three-hour pay-and-display system.

• Mayor unveils short-term and long-term plan for ByWard Market, including pedestrian streets

Sutcliffe said the move would “encourage turnover and increase the availability of short-term parking.”

Drivers currently take a ticket when entering the parking garage and are charged based on how long they stay in the parking garage. There is no limit to how long drivers can stay in the parking garage.

Speaking with Newstalk 580 CFRA’s Ottawa at Work with guest host Stefan Keyes, Sutcliffe said experts and business owners recommended changes to the parking hours at the garage on Clarence Street.

“We want people to use that parking garage because they’re coming there to shop in the ByWard Market, to go to a restaurant,” Sutcliffe said on Friday.

“On the advice of experts and business owners in the area, we want that turnover so that’s why we’re putting that three-hour limit in. People can come downtown, go to the Market, park for a few hours, do some shopping, grab some lunch and then leave that spot open for someone else.”

Sutcliffe said while there is a need for longer-term parking spots in the ByWard Market area, parking turnover is needed in the area.

“We need parking spots in the Market for people who are working there, we need parking spots for people who are coming to shop and there’s a shortage of parking in downtown Ottawa generally right now,” Sutcliffe said.

“It’s challenging, but we want to create an environment where people feel comfortable coming downtown and feel like they have the opportunity to park their car, do some shopping, go to a restaurant and then turn that spot over to someone else.”

Full details on the changes to parking rates are expected to be released on Friday as part of the agenda for the March 3 meeting of the finance and corporate services committee.

“There are over 3,000 parking spaces in and around the ByWard Market,” Coun. Stephanie Plante told CTV Your Morning Ottawa on Thursday.

“There is not a lack of parking, but I do acknowledge that if you are someone who is coming from the suburbs, there isn’t that strip mall feel where you can just park in front of your store, grab what you want and go.”

The ByWard Market parking garage at 70 Clarence Street has space for 290 vehicles and six accessible spaces.

Current parking rates at the 70 Clarence Street parking lot:

Daily morning special:

• 6 a.m. to 11 a.m.: $1.50 per 30 minutes - $2 max (in after 6 a.m., out before 11 a.m.)

Monday to Saturday:

• 6 a.m. to 6 p.m. - $2 per 30 minutes, $16 maximum
• 6 p.m. to 6 a.m. - $1.50 per 30 minutes, $8 maximum

Sunday and holidays:

• 6 a.m. to 6 p.m.: $1.50 per 30 minutes, $8 maximum
• 6 p.m. to 6 a.m.: $1.50 per 30 minutes, $8 maximum

Sutcliffe unveiled the ByWard Market Action Plan on Thursday, outlining short-term and long-term plans for the popular tourist area.

One of the long-term plans is to create a new destination at 70 Clarence Street, with Sutcliffe saying it would be a “vibrant hub for culture and the arts, a gathering space for residents and tourists.”

Sutcliffe said he would be “pushing for underground parking” to replace the parking garage at 70 Clarence Street.

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