By Jennifer Brown
A Centretown business association says new parking meters installed along Bank Street may eventually drive customers away because of increased parking enforcement.
“We’re spending tens of thousands of dollars promoting parking while at the same time we have this overzealousness on the part of the enforcement,” says Gerry LePage, executive director of the Bank Street Promenade, a local merchants’ association.
LePage says while the new meters are drawing new customer business because it is easier to find parking along Bank Street, customers are now complaining about getting parking tickets.
“There’s no better way to lose a customer than to have them get a ticket while they are shopping in your store. It’s not going to take long for them to give up and go to the mall where parking is free,” he says.
LePage says parking officers are targeting Centretown to generate city revenue.
“There are over 300,000 tickets issued each year,” says LePage. “That’s more than one ticket for every man, woman and child in Ottawa.”
The city estimates it will take in $7.9 million this year from parking ticket revenues alone.
The 45 parking enforcement officers and three supervisors who write tickets issue fines ranging from $10 to to $55.
Sean Robart, supervisor of the Rogers Video on Bank Street says he has noticed increased parking officers in Centretown.
“There’s a beat here now,” he says. “Customers are complaining they’re getting tickets just for being one or two minutes late on the meter.”
Three years ago, Byward Market businesses complained about parking enforcement.
“We had 50 per cent more officers patrolling the market than any other area in Ottawa,” says Stephane émard-Chabot, city councillor responsible for the Byward Market.
“There was a feeling here that customers in the market were being targeted and people were getting ticketed too quickly after their meter expired,” he says. émard-Chabot says the changes in Byward Market have cost the city $360,000 in annual parking ticket revenues.
But the city’s overall parking ticket revenue has increased by $800,000 since 1997.
Richard Hewitt, city director of licensing, transportation and buildings, says one reason for the increase is because the officers are concentrating in other high-volume regions like Centretown.
“Instead of just zeroing in on downtown, they’ve spread themselves out to places and can issue more tickets,” Hewitt says.
But Tom Keeley, who supervises the parking enforcement officers, says that doesn’t mean the officers are now targeting Centretown customers.
“We are a service provider for the businesses and are ensuring the businesses have a high rate of customer turnover,” he says.
Somerset Coun. Elisabeth Arnold says the city considered installing two-hour meters to give customers more time, but instead put in 53 one-hour meters along Bank Street.
“It completely matters on the type of business it is,” Arnold says. “High-volume businesses prefer the one-hour meters, but there are offices, and places where customers like to spend more time and one hour isn’t enough.”
This winter the city will discuss new locations for meters in Centretown to improve parking but no new action is planned until spring.
The Parking file
The issue: The impact of parking enforcement on Centretown businesses.
What’s new: Some businesses owners say parking enforcement officers are targeting Centretown and deterring them from coming downtown.
What it means: The parking officers may be trying to generate lost revenue in Centretown to offset a $360,000 loss in revenue from the Byward Market.
What’s next: Coun. Elisabeth Arnold will wait and see how successful 53 new one-hour meters are along Bank Street.