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Pellerin: If Ottawa must force us to drive downtown, at least make it possible to park
Other cities make on-street meter parking somewhat more practical than Ottawa does.
Like many people, I sometimes have to be downtown for work. I rarely go for fun, which is a different issue altogether. When I have to be there, I typically bike or, when the weather is just too miserable, take transit.
I am privileged to live in a neighbourhood that’s close enough to downtown and relatively well-served by transit during office hours. By which I mean, the Number 11 usually kind of works.
For how long I know not, as we keep hearing of trips being cancelled due to maintenance backlogs and traffic congestion — nearly 2,000 such cancellations between Oct. 21 and 28 alone. That’s a lot of buses that never show up, leaving people stranded and making them late but also miserable.
When I need to take my car, usually because of another appointment elsewhere in the city right after work, I park at city hall, arriving around 6:30 a.m. At $20 a pop, it’s not cheap. But it’s convenient.
Except last Tuesday when I had to drive one of my kids to school because they were on crutches after a doozie of an ankle sprain. There was no time to bike, so I drove all the way. I arrived at city hall at 9:04 a.m., and the lot was full. Drove around to nearby parking garages and they were all closed except to monthly pass holders.
I had no choice but to park on the street … where you’re allowed one or two hours, depending on the street, and not a minute more.
I thought, in my adorable naïveté, that I could pay using the app and renew for another two hours at the end of the permitted period. You can do this in many other cities I spend time in, including Detroit and Quebec City. Apps even warn you when there’s just 10 or 15 minutes left to your meter, so you can renew in time and avoid getting an expensive ticket.
Why? Why are we forcing people to work downtown despite notoriously unreliable transit? And why, when they drive because there are few other options to get downtown from Orléans or Bells Corners, do we make it impossible for them to park unless they arrive before the sun is up, which isn’t convenient for everyone especially those with school-age children who need prodding every step of the morning routine?
Oh sure, everyone working two or three days a week downtown could buy monthly parking passes at $200 apiece. If you use it 10 times during the month it comes down to the same $20 a day. Not exactly a bargain. Oh, and I checked: at city hall they’re out of monthly passes and the waiting list is full. Welcome to the Hunger Games, Return-to-Office Edition. Is it worth it to help downtown business owners make a living selling $14 chicken salads?
大概观点：
1.公交系统不可靠
2.自己开车parking 贵不说，难找到停车点
3.找到街头停车点，你只能停2小时，然后必须换地点，
4.其他大城市都可以用手机app付钱延长停车,渥太华必须换，你满街头找新停车点，花45分钟，然后1小时后又必须回来再花45分钟移车走回去
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