Karen Henderson, Centretown News
Cyclists want the city to increase the number of bike parking spaces in Centretown.The release of a new parking study in Centretown last month received some backlash from cycling advocates who argue the study failed to address bicycle parking.
Critics are questioning the study’s emphasis on vehicle parking, as they argue that only 30 per cent of the people surveyed were drivers whereas the majority of respondents used alternative modes of transportation.
The Centretown Local Area Parking Study evaluates both on-and off-street parking across the area but specifically addresses commercial hotspots such as Bank and Elgin Street – where parking often exceeds more than 85 per cent of the total capacity.
Taking to social media to express her concerns, Twitter user Lana Stewart tweeted, “Bike parking is parking. We are real customers with parking needs, too.”
Bike parking is an issue both Somerset Coun. Catherine McKenney and Heather Shearer, Bike Ottawa board member, agree there is just not enough of.
Although McKenney says the city adds about 20 to 30 bicycle parking sites each week in the Ottawa area, there are just not enough spots to accommodate the growing number of people cycling downtown.
“It’s almost difficult to stay ahead of it right now,” McKenney says. “We have to find other ways of financing bike parking.”
Shearer says while the city has some “very good ideas” for cycling, they are slow to implement.
The transportation master plan and the Ottawa cycling master plan – the city’s long-term projects aimed at improving cycling, transit, pedestrian and road systems – are set to be completed by 2031.
She says residents should not have wait to 15 years to see change.
“Active transportation is very good value for the dollar and is worth investing in sooner than later. You can fit a lot more people in an area because unlike cars, (bikes) don’t take up that much space,” she says.
“You can bring more traffic into a business by supporting active transportation and ensuring adequate parking for cyclists and providing a safe way to travel.”
With the light rail system on its way, Somerset Coun. Catherine McKenney explains a more long-term goal of the parking study is to analyze how people move through the downtown core and assess the current constraints and needs of residents.
“We cannot just increase the amount of traffic moving through the downtown by adding more parking . . . the space isn’t there.” McKenney says.
With new developments being built close to the LRT route, McKenney says the city needs to consider the “absolute minimum” requirement for parking for residents and visitors but also ensure that people are able to travel into the downtown easily and affordably.
Christine Leadman, executive director of the Bank Street Business Improvement Association, says that while she city needs to implement a better strategy to encourage others to use alternative modes transportation, the focus on parking from a business perspective is just as important.
“If we want to be competitive and want to bring more people inside the core, we are going to have to look at (parking) because the facts are people are not giving up their cars and it will be a long time before they do,” says Leadman.
Leadman says that lack of parking along some areas on Bank Street is one of the reasons retailers and professionals are deciding to not do business in Centretown.
As an area dependent on consumer traffic and office spaces, she says the financial deficit can be very challenging to recover from.
The study’s recommendations are scheduled to be released in May and will take into consideration the public’s responses from the open house held at city hall last month.
But McKenney says there must be a balance. “We need green space. We need walkable livable space, but at the same time we have to recognize there will always be some parking that is necessary.”