The ByWard Market BIA has teamed up with Responsible Choice to offer valet parking in the popular shopping and tourist area.
Drivers will pull up to the corner of York Street and Dalhousie, and an attendant with Responsible Choice will park your car in a nearby lot or available space.
“It’s a really easy system, you pull up, and we take all the parking worries from off your hands,” said Darren Burrowes, the President of Responsible Choice Inc.
“You basically sign in with your name, we take down your cellphone number, we’re actually going to text you your ticket number, and as soon as you are ready to go, you text us back – In about 15 minutes or so your car will be waiting for you.”
Valet parking is available Thursday and Friday 3p.m. until midnight, Saturday from noon until midnight, and Sunday from noon until 8p.m.
The cost for valet parking is $15 or $25, depending on the time of day.
Councillor Mathieu Fleury introduced a motion at City Council in June to allow temporary valet parking in the ByWard Market until December 31, 2017. Fleury noted Inspiration Village and Ottawa 2017 celebrations have temporarily reduced the number of available parking spots in the market.
Several business owners in the area have raised concerns about losing 92 spaces to Inspiration Village. Christine Shaikin from The Modern Shop is hopeful this will help bring in more customers.
“Anything that increases parking will help, it’s a big thing for us here, and we had that beautiful area where everyone could park, and they would walk… and I know people are really hurting by it,” Shaikin said.
There are still 3100 other available spots in the Market, according to the Executive Director of the ByWard Market BIA.
“This is to help deal with the myth that there is no parking in the Market, but also for those who want that really quick, easy, simple, valet parking,” Jennings said.
The program is a pilot project that will run until December.
