Bylaw Services officers are issuing dozens of parking tickets a day to motorists parked in a popular ByWard Market garage since it switched to a pay-and-display system this spring. The City of Ottawa converted the parking garage at 70 Clarence Street to a three-hour pay-and-display system on March 30 to encourage vehicle turnover in the Ottawa tourist area. Previously, drivers received a ticket when entering the parking garage and were charged based on how long they stayed in the lot. Bylaw Services tells CTV News Ottawa officers issued 2,445 tickets for violations at the parking garage between March 30 and June 30. “During this same period, there have been 50,792 paid parking transactions in the parking garage, indicating high compliance,” Jake Gravelle, Chief of Bylaw and Regulatory Services, said in a statement to CTV News Ottawa. The conversion of the lot at 70 Clarence Street to a three-hour pay-and-display system was one of the short-term measures in a $200 million plan to revitalize the ByWard Market approved by council this spring. “As of March 30, the ByWard Market parking garage located at 70 Clarence Street transitioned to a three-hour Pay and Display system to better support the ByWard Market revitalization and increase the availability of short-term parking for residents and visitors of the market,” Gravelle said. The parking lot is open 24 hours a day, seven days a week, and the three-hour time limit is in effect Monday to Saturday between 8:30 a.m. and 7:30 p.m. and Sunday from 7:30 a.m. to 8:30 p.m. Here are the hourly rates to park at 70 Clarence Street. Monday to Saturday (8:30 a.m. to 7:30 p.m. All evening/overnight periods (7:30 p.m. to 8:30 a.m.) Sunday The other city-operated municipal lot at 141 Clarence Street (the Dalhousie Garage) does not have a three-hour limit. On July 1, the city increased the daily maximum rate at the Dalhousie Garage $1 to $15. “The daily maximum parking rate at the Dalhousie Garage at 141 Clarence Street was adjusted on Wednesday, July 1, as part of the City of Ottawa’s periodic review of off-street parking rates,” Scott Caldwell, manager of Parking Services, said in an email to CTV News Ottawa. “The City reviews off-street parking rates three times per year, in alignment with the Municipal Parking Management Strategy. Each lot is assessed individually, and rate adjustments reflect market conditions, daily usage and offer rates that are comparable to the nearby privately-managed parking facilities.” There are 459 parking spaces at the Dalhousie Garage.
