OTTAWA -- The National Capital Commission is reopening parking lots at all facilities in Ottawa and Gatineau, while also making more space available for active transportation during the COVID-19 pandemic.
The NCC is entering Phase 2 of its Framework for Public Use of Its Assets during the pandemic as both the Ontario and Quebec Governments relax COVID restrictions.
As of Friday at 9 a.m., most parking lots located on NCC urban lands, the Greenbelt and Gatineau Park will be open to the public, wherever possible. That includes the parking lots at the NCC’s off-leash dog parks at Bruce Pit and Conroy Pit.
The NCC says “we strongly encourage everyone to continue to practice safe physical distancing while on NCC lands, be it in parks, on trails or when parking their vehicle.”
Gatineau Park
The NCC says parking lots in Gatineau Park will open on Friday.
However, the NCC is announcing that “most of the parkways in Gatineau Park will be open exclusively for active transportation on a pilot basis” until June 28.
That means Gatineau Parkway, Champlain Parkway and Fortune Lake Parkway will be closed to motor vehicle traffic.
Queen Elizabeth Driveway
The National Capital Commission is also extending the pilot project to close the Queen Elizabeth Driveway to motor vehicle traffic until June 28.
Every day between 8 a.m. and 8 p.m., the Queen Elizabeth Driveway will be open for cyclists, joggers, runners, skateboarders and other active transportation modes between Fifth Avenue and Laurier Avenue.
Both the Sir John A. Macdonald Parkway and Sir George-Etienne Cartier Parkway will be closed on weekends from 8 a.m. to 4 p.m. for active transportation until May 31.
