Vehicle storage is not the highest and best use of scarce public roads. A livable urban environment requires space for wide sidewalks, bike lanes, bus stops, benches, and trees.
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When I was in college, I briefly worked as a security guard at an apartment complex downtown. Although all residents had their own parking spaces, many of which were left unused, there were no visitor parking spaces in the 1970s tower.
Over the years, management has found more than a dozen locations where visiting vehicles can enter, but often that's not enough.
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That's because until 2016, developers weren't required to include visitor parking in new downtown housing.
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Residents who moved into LeBreton Flats' first condos learned this the hard way. Many of them believed the development would include visitor parking, but none was built. Their visitors must park on the street.
In 2016, the City's minimum parking requirements changed, reducing overall parking requirements while reintroducing minimum visitor parking.
On April 29, the City of Ottawa is scheduled to submit a report on an issue. draft zoning ordinance It expands on 2016 reforms and eliminates minimum parking requirements for residents in developments citywide.
This means transit and transit-focused developers won't have to build more expensive parking spaces than the market requires, which is expected to lower unit costs. will be done.
But the new ordinance also includes minimum requirements for visitor parking, which is actually a good thing.
Believe it or not, visitor parking is consistent with a car-free lifestyle. Because this visitor is not my aunt from out of town. They are service providers such as cable and telephone technicians, tradesmen, movers, delivery personnel, and personal support personnel. Or maybe it's just the odd time you need to rent a car for the weekend.
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Living without a car will continue to get easier as society moves towards delivery of everything from groceries to furniture to fast food, bicycle networks expand and public transport promises to improve. It will be.
After all, you can choose for yourself whether to live in a building with a parking lot or not. In contrast, you cannot choose how services are provided.
If private developments do not provide space for these activities, visitors' cars will be parked on public streets (and sometimes on sidewalks!).
Particularly downtown, vehicle storage is not the highest and best use of scarce public roads. A livable urban environment requires space for wide sidewalks, bike lanes, bus stops, benches, and trees.
While we can debate exactly how much visitor parking will be needed when building new high-rise residential buildings, we should at least ensure that the necessary “visitor” vehicles do not become a burden to the public. Some amount of parking will be required.
While it won't solve the current security guard parking situation in downtown apartment complexes, the city's proposed new zoning ordinance parking rules will help reduce overall vehicle use, which will help our city It's good for you.
Charles Akben-Marchand (centretown.blogspot.com) lives in Ottawa, rides a bicycle, but doesn't own a car.
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