Here's where on-street parking rates will increase to $4 an hour in Ottawa this summer

A City of Ottawa parking meter is seen in this 2016 file photo. (Tyler Fleming / CTV News Ottawa)

Ottawa motorists will have to pay $4 an hour to park at on-street meters in the ByWard Market, downtown, on Preston Street in Little Italy and along sections of Bank Street starting this summer, as part of changes to the city's on-street parking rates.

A report for the June 27 meeting of Ottawa's transportation committee outlines plans to increase parking rates from $3.50 an hour to $4 in seven zones across Ottawa, while four zones will see parking rates drop. The city is creating a demand-based parking model, with parking rates set based on demand for on-street parking in 20 zones across the city, mainly in the downtown area.

Starting in August, on-street parking rates will increase to $4 an hour in the following zones:

• Little Italy South (all paid parking on Preston Street south of Hwy. 417 as well as adjacent side streets - Young Street East, Aberdeen Street, Beech Street, Norman Street and Pamilla Street)
• Chinatown (all paid parking on Somerset Street West and the immediately adjacent side streets between the O-Train tracks)
• Glebe South (all paid parking along Bank Street and the immediately adjacent side streets between Holmwood Avenue and First Avenue)
• Downtown (all paid parking between Bronson Avenue and the Rideau Canal that is north of Nepean Street, including Nepean Street)
• King Edward (all paid parking on King Edward Avenue between Mann Avenue and Osgoode Street)
• ByWard Core (all paid parking in the ByWard Market and surrounding area from Rideau Street (not including Rideau Street) to Murray Street (including Murray Street) to Dalhousie Street) 

Under the proposal, parking rates on Ruskin Street near the Ottawa Hospital Civic Campus will increase $1 an hour to $4.50.

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The following areas will see a drop in parking rates, starting in August:

• Holland Cross (Holland Avenue, Spencer Street and Hamilton Avenue North) will see rates drop from $1.50 to $1 an hour
• Vanier (Montreal Road, Montgomery Street and Selkirk Street) will see rates drop from $2 to $1.50 an hour
• Terminal (Terminal Avenue and Sanford Fleming Avenue) will have rates drop from $1.50 to $1 an hour
• Rideau (all paid parking on Rideau Street and immediately adjacent side streets, east of King Edward Avenue) will see parking rates drop from $1.50 to $1.

There will be no changes in parking rates in other areas of Ottawa.

Demand-based parking prices

The report for the transportation committee outlines the inflationary increase in on-street parking rates, and the implementation of a demand-based pricing model for on-street parking in neighbourhoods.

Ottawa currently has 3,790 on-street parking spaces across the 20 zones, with the vast majority of the spaces charging $3.50 an hour.

Under the new demand-based pricing model, there will be a single rate in each of the 20 on-street paid parking zones in Ottawa. The on-street parking rates will be determined based on demand in the neighbourhood parking zones for two consecutive periods – May/June and September/October.

"Council approved a demand-based pricing model whereby rates are periodically adjusted up or down as warranted by situations of high or low demand," staff say, adding peak weekday daytime demand will be identified and used to see if parking demand is too high or too low.

"The practice of setting rates in response to demand is already applied in many other municipalities such as Toronto, Montreal, Calgary, Vancouver, San Francisco, and Seattle."

The report says parking spot occupancy above 85 per cent during peak periods is too high and anything below 50 per cent occupancy is too low.

"If parking demand is too high, there is limited-to-no parking available, causing drivers to search for parking and potentially go elsewhere," staff say. "This can have negative results towards businesses and the community as a whole due to increased traffic volumes, which results in increases in emissions, congestion and safety-related issues. On the other hand, if parking demand is too low, the spaces are underutilized which can also represent negative implications for businesses and the local community."

The report says on-street parking rates may be adjusted by 50 cents within a zone if, at peak, occupancy is greater than 85 per cent over two periods, or adjusted down by 50 cents if occupancy is less than 50 per cent.

Council approved setting the maximum parking rate at $4.50 an hour as part of the 2024 budget.  Staff say the changes to parking in 11 zones will result in $440,000 in new revenue for Parking Services.

The last time on-street parking rates were increased was in late 2019, when rates were adjusted for inflation to $3.50 an hour.

No changes in parking rates

The following zones will see no changes to parking rates in August

• Constellation (paid parking on Centrepointe Drive, Constellation Crescent and Gemini Way) will stay at $3.50
• War Museum (paid parking on Wellington Street between the Portage Bridge and Vimy Place) will remain at $3.50 an hour
• Little Italy North (All paid parking on Preston Street north of Hwy 417 to Somerset Street West) will remain at $3.50 an hour
• Rochester (paid parking on Booth Street and Rochester Street south of Hwy. 417) will remain at $1.50
• Glebe North (all paid parking along Bank Street and the immediately adjacent side streets between Hwy 417 and First Avenue) will remain at $3.50 an hour
• Centretown South (between Bronson Avenue and the Rideau Canal that is south of Gilmour Street, but not including Gilmour Street) will remain at $3.50
• Centretown North (Bronson Avenue and the Rideau Canal that is north of Gilmour Street, including Gilmour Street, and south of Nepean Street, but not including Nepean Street) will remain at $3.50
• ByWard Market North/East (all paid parking in the ByWard Market and surrounding area, Dalhousie Street and east (including Dalhousie Street) and Murray Street and north) will continue to cost $3.50 an hour
• Besserer (all paid parking on Rideau Street west of King Edward Avenue and south to Laurier Avenue East) will continue to cost $3.50