Ottawa discourages parking and driving

Re: Let’s walk and bike to revitalize the downtown, Feb. 20

The City of Ottawa and the federal government woo tourists to the capital, but block off access by reducing the width of the main streets by taking pieces out of them for bicycle lanes and also creating complete streets, which narrow the main roads that were built before our population grew by leaps and bounds.

The “easy driving and parking ” that Michelle Perry wrote about is a thing of the distant past. City bureaucrats don’t prioritize driving; they favour bicycles. The “cyclists and pedestrians support urban shopping districts” because of their easy access to them. The “cycle tracks on busy streets” are dangerous. Driving and parking provide a way for tourists and nondowntown residents to get to Ottawa’s centre. Ottawa should be a place people can get to and around with some degree of comfort, instead of paying parking fines to put their car someplace.

Fran Dawson, Woodlawn