By Anne Deslauriers
Centretown merchants say they are counting on new parking meters installed along Bank Street to help bring business back to the area.
“This is long overdue. There’s definitely more people walking around now because of the convenience of parking,” says Frank Saab, owner of Us Hair Design on Bank Street.
The 53 new meters added by the City of Ottawa extend along Bank Street from Gloucester Street to Gladstone Avenue.
Peter Bula, a parking development official for the city, says the meters are the most inexpensive way to respond to the local business community’s demands for additional parking.
The Bank Street Promenade, a local merchants’ association, has been fighting for eight years to get more street parking.
Gerry LePage, executive director of the association, says all successful commercial areas need to have convenient parking for patrons. LePage cites the Glebe and the Byward Market as examples of commercial areas that are thriving because of adequate parking.
He also says it’s been a struggle to get the meters installed because Bank Street is owned by the region, while the meters are owned by the city. Another concern has been parked cars interefere with several of OC Transpo’s main bus routes running along Bank Street.
The city responded by putting meters on alternating sides of the street, to avoid congestion.
Henry Yee, who has managed property on Bank Street for over 30 years, says he is very happy with the 13 new meters on his block. He says he remembers when parking meters were taken away 15 years ago to accommodate the bus routes.
“It became like a ghost town, so many stores were going bankrupt. Before, Bank Street was the best shopping street in the city,” says Yee. “Now that the parking is back, we hope that the business will come back.”
Not everyone is pleased with the additional cars now lining Bank Street. Guy Leonard, an OC Transpo bus driver, says the new meters are causing congestion on one of the city’s main arteries.
“It’s creating a lot more traffic. Parking should not be allowed, especially during rush hour,” says Leonard.
The city says the new meters are being tested on a one- year trial basis. It plans to re-evaluate the situation next fall.
The meters are the first phase in the city’s plan to help revitalize the Bank Street commercial area. The second phase, to be discussed over the winter, will involve the addition of parking on side streets such as Nepean and Lisgar. Action is not expected on this second phase until the spring.
The parking file
The issue: parking on Bank Street
What’s new: 53 new parking meters have been added on Bank Street between Gloucester Street and Gladstone Avenue
What it means: Local merchants are hoping it will boost business
What’s next: This winter the city will discuss new locations for meters, no new action is planned until spring