City opens first designated parking area for motorcycles and scooters

The City’s first designated parking area for motorcycles and scooters was officially opened today in the ByWard Market by Councillor Maria McRae, Chair of the Transportation Committee, Rideau-Vanier Ward Councillor Georges Bédard, and Jasna Jennings, Executive Director of the ByWard Market Business Improvement Area (BIA).
The pilot project reconfigured 10 regular parking spaces on the main level of Municipal Lot 4 in the heart of the ByWard Market into an area for 31 motorcycles and scooters that will cost half of the regular rate. The convenient, half-priced parking is intended to encourage use of this smaller, fuel-efficient form of transportation.
“The City of Ottawa supports and encourages alternative travel choices that are fuel-efficient and can reduce traffic congestion,” said Councillor McRae. “The City’s first rate-reduced, seasonal municipal parking area for motorcycles and scooters encourages the use of fuel-efficient travel and makes visiting the ByWard Market more convenient and less expensive for this mode of travel.”
The City’s Municipal Parking Management Strategy, approved by City Council in April 2009, is a comprehensive strategy covering program principles and objectives, guidelines for parking pricing, a funding model and an implementation plan. Council approved measures to ensure that the requirements of residents, BIAs and other stakeholders are addressed in the implementation process through establishment of a stakeholders group and local area parking studies beginning with the ByWard Market in 2009. Parking lot enhancements also include two new types of vertical racks for bicycle parking. This new initiative complements the City’s 4,000 on-street and 2,700 off-street, paid parking spaces.
“This project is key to building a strong and healthy community for businesses and residents of the ByWard Market,” said Councillor Bédard. “It is an innovative and proactive approach to increasing parking and to making the ByWard Market a more convenient and welcoming destination for tourists and residents alike.

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