If you’re looking to avoid a parking ticket, you’ll want to pay extra attention next time you park in the downtown core. 16 of the top 20 streets with the most parking fines in 2014 were issued downtown.  

Data obtained from the City of Ottawa shows that the most parking fines handed out in 2014 were on York Street and George Street in the ByWard Market with 9,428 and 7,760 fines, respectively. Queen Street, Bank Street, and Lisgar Street rounded out the top five.

“There’s no place to park and this is a hub. People want to come here,” said  Barry Kuehl.

“That’s why I’m parked illegally. I’m lost and waiting for a friend,” he added.

In 2014, more than 350,000 parking infraction notices were issued, drawing in an estimated $18 million in revenue for the City of Ottawa. Those fines were issued for a wide variety of parking infractions, including everything from forgetting to feed the meter to parking too close to a fire hydrant or too far away from the curb.

For Nicholas Bohly, getting a ticket is a risk he is willing to take. Bohly and his family parked in a 15 minute zone on York Street, hoping to push the envelope by a few minutes.

“My wife was telling me that we were probably going to have a ticket, but I don’t know. It’s a risk we are going to take.”

So while finding a spot in busy neighborhoods downtown can be a challenge, feeding the meter and following the signs can save you money, and a trip to City Hall.

The 20 streets where the most fines were issued are:

1.       York Street 9,428

2.       George Street 7,760

3.       Queen Street 5,784

4.       Bank Street 5,225

5.       Lisgar Street 5,059

6.       1385 Woodroffe Avenue 4,916

7.       Elgin Street 3,990

8.       Cooper Street 3,629

9.       Ruskin Street 3,306

10.   Lynda Lane 3,216

11.   Somerset Street 3,197

12.   Nepean Street 3,100

13.   Dalhousie Street 2,983

14.   O’Connor Street 2,950

15.   Metcalfe Street 2,887

16.   Gloucester Street 2,844

17.   MacLaren Street 2,771

18.   Clarence Street 2,440

19.   Besserer Street 2,340

20.   Henderson Avenue 2,280

A full list of possible parking infractions is on the City of Ottawa’s website.