Motorists will face higher fines for illegal stopping and parking on 23 streets in downtown Ottawa starting Tuesday, as the City of Ottawa looks to keep traffic moving on “critical downtown corridors” this fall. As part of the city’s 48-point plan to prepare for increased traffic on roads and highways, the city is extending no-parking and no-stopping zone times on some downtown streets and increasing fines by $65 for no-stopping zone violations and $45 for no-parking zone infractions. The no-parking and no-stopping zone times will be extended until 9:30 a.m. during the morning commute and from 5:30 p.m. to 6 p.m. during the afternoon commute. “The intent of these changes is to improve traffic flow and network reliability by reducing lane obstructions that can contribute to congestion, transit delays, and impacts on emergency vehicle access,” staff said. 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. “These changes are intended to improve compliance with parking regulations in the downtown area, where illegal stopping and parking have a greater impact on traffic flow, transit operations, emergency vehicle access, and overall public safety,” staff said. The “critical downtown corridors” that will see increased fines for no-parking and no-stopping violations are: Public Works general manager Alain Gonthier told councillors two weeks ago that the city has created 13 loading zones in the downtown core for parcel delivery and pickups. “September will come with some challenges and it will take a few weeks for everyone to settle into their new routine and for travel patterns to stabilize,” Gonthier said. The city is spending $25,000 to extend peak morning and afternoon no-parking/no-stopping zones by 30 minutes on select downtown streets, and $11,000 to install signs identifying drop-off and pick-up locations on downtown streets. Between June 4, 2025 and July 15, 2026, Bylaw Services officers issued 22,409 parking penalties for stopping in a no-stopping zone and 832 parking tickets for parking in no-parking zones during peak hours on downtown corridors.
