There may be few things more aggravating than being nickel-and-dimed by the city every time you need to park for a quick errand. It is time to rethink how residents of Ottawa park—where, for how long, and at what cost. It should be a lot cheaper and easier than it currently is.
The Problem with Current Parking
Small business owners in the city have warned that paid on-street parking hurts their bottom line. I scoffed at first, but now I see it. There are days when you need to drive to run eight or nine errands across the city. Each time, you must sit with the app, register for a new parking session, and pay a dollar or two to run into a store for a quick purchase. It is even more frustrating if you do not use the app and have to enter your details at the pay station. Repeat the process at each stop, even if you only need 10 minutes. That day of running errands can cost $15 in street parking, making it tempting to go to a shopping mall instead.
A Genius Idea: Resident Parking Permits
I was chatting recently with Joanne Chianello, who is running for Jeff Leiper’s seat in Kitchissippi. We were on a patio watching people come and go from parking spaces. I suddenly had a flash of what I am sure you will agree is genius. Why not give residents of Ottawa the ability to park on the street for free, even in metered areas?
Imagine each resident being allowed to add their car to their City of Ottawa account. Register with your plate number. This gives you the right to park anywhere there is a meter without paying for a maximum of, say, four hours. By-law officers checking permits would scan your license plate and know you did not need to pay, unless you went over the time limit, which would be enforced through tire chalking or a better method.
Potential Costs and Variations
Chianello suggested maybe charging something for that privilege, since parking revenue goes to good uses. Would you pay $50 a year for that? $100? More? I am open to ideas. If you wanted to register a second or third vehicle, you could pay a little extra. You might even register a guest for a fee—say if a visitor staying with you for three weeks wanted the same privilege. Tourists would pay at the meter as they do now, since they do not pay taxes here.
A number of cities have parking permit programs for residents. Ottawa already has one for residential streets without meters. In San Francisco, for instance, $215 buys an annual permit that allows you to ignore meters and time limits on residential streets.
Conclusion
As much as I love walking and cycling, there are times when people need to use their car. If we decide to make everyone pay something to park on the street, that is fine. But at least make it easier and cheaper for those of us who already pay a lot to live and shop in this city.
Brigitte Pellerin is an Ottawa writer.
