Street Reopens As One-Way Street With Back-In Parking

(From the Ottawa Police Department)

South Hickory Street is officially OPEN!

A few important reminders before you test your driving skills:

• South Hickory Street is now a ONE WAY street heading SOUTH from Main Street to 2nd Street.
• The signs are posted correctly — “Do Not Enter” really does mean do not enter. We promise it’s not a suggestion or a challenge.
• Parking lines are painted, although we are still waiting on a few additional signs to arrive.

Now for the biggest change:

ALL angled parking is REVERSE-IN PARKING ONLY. That means you MUST back into the space, no pulling straight in.

Why reverse parking? Because it’s safer for everyone. Backing INTO a parking space gives drivers better visibility when pulling out into traffic, reduces the chance of accidents with pedestrians and vehicles, and makes it easier to safely unload passengers. In short: a few extra seconds parking can help prevent a lot of problems later. It is just like parallel parking on main street.

Don’t worry, instructions for reverse parking are posted along the street to help guide you. And yes, after a few tries, you may even start looking like a pro.

We sincerely thank everyone for their patience while we battled Mother Nature to get this project completed. A huge THANK YOU goes to Hohenbrink Excavating for doing an outstanding job and coordinating with all of the crews involved in the project.

We also want to thank all of the businesses and residents who have patiently waited for this work to be finished.

We understand change can feel strange at first, but change is not always bad. These improvements were made with safety in mind for everyone using our downtown streets.

Now go enjoy the new street… the correct direction, please.