Category: parking

parking, Scott street2 Comments

Parking trouble

Westsideaction

Motorists are endlessly optimistic they will find free parking right at the front door of where they want to go. Who do they think they are, Hollywood actors in a movie? Consider these optimists at Tunney’s Pasture: Those cars are parked on the bridge that goes over the transitway. They probably feel themselves pretty lucky and clever, having found on-street parking, sans meters, sans time restrictions, right close to the office. Of course, once someone finds the space, copy cat parkers arrive. Alas, the reason there aren’t any “no parking” signs is because the city doesn’t need to post them, because … Continue reading Parking trouble

Dalhousie, hintonburg, parking, parks14 Comments

Ottawa District Parking Board

Westsideaction

This is the view of the south side of Devonshire School, taken from the rear lane. The very old (historic??) chain link fence has been removed in preparation for the Ottawa Carleton District School Parking Board paving the tiny strip of grass that formerly separated the paved yard from the paved laneway. The playspace, which until last week was the site of parent-paid-for tether ball posts, the Board wants to convert into parking spaces for the staff. I really must commend the board for their economy, saving money on building parking spaces (then provided free to staff) by converting a children’s play yard. … Continue reading Ottawa District Parking Board

design, downtown, parking, pedestrians, streetscaping, WalkSpace4 Comments

From mediocre to worse

Westsideaction

  This post originally appeared in the WalkSpace series at  www.SpacingOttawa.ca. The loss of amenity is noticeable when an attractive bit of the pedestrian realm or sidewalk is adversely affected by adjacent developments. The contrast is less sharp when a mediocre space becomes worse. Yet the result is the same: the pedestrian zone gets impinged and impoverished. I always find the C D Howe building in downtown Ottawa to be an underachiever. The building is somehow less than the sum of its parts. Inside there’s a waterfall, winter garden, soaring three storey spaces, pedestrian bridges, Jetson elevators, retail spaces, food court …. And outside offers an extra-wide sidewalk with some … Continue reading From mediocre to worse

condos, cycling in Ottawa, Laurier Ave, parking3 Comments

Four inches that makes a difference

Westsideaction

Four inches more. That’s all it would take. But alas, that shortage of four inches is significant.   City planners are today wishing they had four more inches to play with. The significance is on Gloucester Street, shown above, behind the Queen Elizabeth Towers condos. Notice that the city has changed the painted bike lane to a parking zone. As part of the “deal” to install the separated bike lane on Laurier, the city relocated the parking from both sides of Laurier to both sides of Gloucester. The Gloucester bike lane becomes redundant when the Laurier lane is installed this fall. During … Continue reading Four inches that makes a difference

parking, pedestrians, sidewalks5 Comments

More parking on sidewalks

Westsideaction

A few weeks ago I ran a quickie post on motorists that treat sidewalks as their private parking spaces. The front entrance of the Delta Hotel on Queen Street is already a bit tough for pedestrians to get to or to get by. Ever since it was built by Teron & Ian Johns with wide sidewalks, the walks have been chipped away and replaced by more traffic lanes, queueing lanes, stopping lanes, and now the patio at the front entrance has been taken over as a taxi stand, often leaving just inches of space to squeeze out onto the city sidewalk. On Monday I … Continue reading More parking on sidewalks

parking, pedestrians, roads, sidewalks41 Comments

Guerilla Parking Enforcement

Westsideaction

  No, these people aren’t Algonquin College students being persecuted for driving to school. These are their parents, married to their autos, and too lazy to park in the merchant’s free parking lot behind the store. Much easier to just park on the sidewalk. Why don’t they stop on the road? Heavens! that would block traffic! That would be a sin! Much better to park on the sidewalk, the pedestrians won’t even know, and if one comes by, there’s lots of room to squeeze by. Mr Red Volvo the Duck Lover, parks 100% on the sidewalk. He does this regularly, while … Continue reading Guerilla Parking Enforcement

condos, cycling in Ottawa, downtown, Laurier Ave, parking, roads, sidewalks18 Comments

Condo, heal thyself …

Westsideaction

  Part of the controversy about the Laurier Separated Bike Lanes relates to who gets to use the street. According to the Bank Street BIA, it’s for cars and deliveries, period. Less strident but still vocal are the various condo owner and management groups in the core. Let’s look at one downtown condo, Queen Elizabeth towers, and their parking issues. Built in 1975 (left tower, 500 Laurier, 238 units) and 1978 (right tower, 530 Laurier,  217 units)  these 26 storey big block condos are a well known downtown presence. For these 455 units there are 455 parking spaces (according to the building manager’s office), … Continue reading Condo, heal thyself …

Bronson, cycling in Ottawa, parking, sidewalks, Uncategorized17 Comments

Toronto road diet

Westsideaction

Christie Street in Toronto is painted in different configurations. The southern section is a typical urban arterial, like Bronson: four lanes squeezed into a tight right of way, traffic jostling for position and obviously unattractive to adjacent businesses and residents. The more northerly section has been repainted into a different configuration. There is a painted bike lane between the parking and the travelled road surface. The bike lane is tight up to cars, raising concerns about “the door prize”. Traffic flowed much more smoothly too, with no passing and less stress driving the street. Above: north of Davenport,  Christie is painted with two … Continue reading Toronto road diet

bike path, parking1 Comment

Unofficial signs that need to be official …

Westsideaction

If it was a “real” sign it would be mounted eight feet up in the air, pointed along the curb rather than parallel to it, and would be difficult and expensive to get installed. Instead, this private sign is conveniently mounted 3-4′ above the sidewalk, directly facing the car that might park illegally on the bike lane. In short, it’s actually useful. In this particular instance, there is a curb side bike lane and a popular restuarant adjacent. Legal on-street parking commences just a few metres further west, so motorists must try to “squeeze in” one last car and then block … Continue reading Unofficial signs that need to be official …

design, Lisgar Street, parking6 Comments

Mispriced parking

Westsideaction

  The City continues to devote enormous sums of money every year to providing free parking spaces for motorists to store their cars. Public rights of way are a limited commodity, yet the City insists that the highest and best use for these rights of way is not for street trees, wide sidewalks, or other “people” and environment benefits. The above photo is taken on Lisgar, looking west. The intersection in the distance is Bay Street. Note that all the parking spaces in the foreground are empty, at 10am on a weekday morning. The City charges for parking here, as it is … Continue reading Mispriced parking

parking3 Comments

Enjoying nature

Westsideaction

I was cycling around the Ottawa West neighborhood the other day: Northwestern, Cowley, Patricia, Carleton. This long lineup of parked cars is on the roadside parking lot where a neighborhood path goes under the Ottawa River Commuter Expressway. Once on the path, I looked for all these people, but the area was deserted. Alas, they were just the abandonned bits of personal transporters left behind by cubicle farmers at Tunney’s Pasture. Free parking, no posted time limit. Continue reading Enjoying nature

parking

Enjoying nature

Westsideaction

I was cycling around the Ottawa West neighborhood the other day: Northwestern, Cowley, Patricia, Carleton. This long lineup of parked cars is on the roadside parking lot where a neighborhood path goes under the Ottawa River Commuter Expressway. Once on the path, I looked for all these people, but the area was deserted. Alas, they were just the abandonned bits of personal transporters left behind by cubicle farmers at Tunney’s Pasture. Free parking, no posted time limit. Continue reading Enjoying nature

parking4 Comments

Postal Presence

Westsideaction

All along Preston new posts shrouded in plastic have appeared. They are the new pay and display parking system to be rolled out all over the city in the coming months. They are coming by the truckload. Once operating, the old meters will be left in place for bit, but with the inside payment mechanism removed, so that parkers who migrate to the old style meters will be met with a sign advising them to go to the pay and display system (example on the middle meter below): Continue reading Postal Presence

parking

Postal Presence

Westsideaction

All along Preston new posts shrouded in plastic have appeared. They are the new pay and display parking system to be rolled out all over the city in the coming months. They are coming by the truckload. Once operating, the old meters will be left in place for bit, but with the inside payment mechanism removed, so that parkers who migrate to the old style meters will be met with a sign advising them to go to the pay and display system (example on the middle meter below): Continue reading Postal Presence