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Construction Season. Photo by Charles Earl.
Construction Season. Photo by Charles Earl.

Ottawa Driving Guide

Compared to many big cities, Ottawa is still an easy place to get around. Traffic is heavy during rush hours -- and after a Senators game in Kanata -- but overall traffic flows well. Plus, we have a good public transit system, and a vast network of bike paths, so it's easy to leave the car at home and avoid the congestion altogether.

Featured Listings

Ottawa Carspotting
Collecting photos videos of hot cars, old cars, new cars, nice cars. Featuring submissions from car buffs around Ottawa and Gatineau.
Make your business stand out from the rest.
Click here to add your Featured Listing...

On this page (and beyond)

Driving Conditions - Local
Information about traffic delays and construction, as well as links to live traffic cams. Plus maps and gas price information.
Driving Conditions - Highway
This is the place to find driving conditions on highways around the Ottawa area, including the 416, 401, 7, and more.
Driver's License & Training
Parking Tickets & Traffic Tickets
Includes where you can pay your fine and legal resources
Mechanics
Taxis & Limousines
Car Rentals
Parking
Buy & Sell
New & used dealers in Ottawa
Events & Automotive Clubs
Alternative Transportation
Info about carpooling, OC Transpo, and other non-car alternatives
Miscellaneous Links
See also: Ottawa Maps Guide...

Driving Conditions - Local

Lane reductions on Albert Street this weekend
Temporary lane closure on Colonel By Drive
Lane Reductions expected on Woodroffe Avenue at Longfields Drive

Gas Prices in Ottawa
A list of the best and worst gas prices in the Ottawa-Gatineau region. Provided by GasBuddy.com
Ottawa Traffic Cams / Queensway Traffic Cams
Live video feeds of traffic hot spots around Ottawa.
City road work & street closures
You've probably heard the old joke: "Ottawa has two seasons: winter and construction." With this page, you can track all of the city's current construction projects. Also a listing of road closures for special events like parades and protests.See also: Interactive Traffic Map
Highway 417 interactive map
This interactive map from the Province of Ontario shows traffic problems and roadwork along Highway 417 aka The Queensway.
Ottawa Student Transportation Authority (OSTA)
The OSTA looks after school bus transportation for the major school baords in Ottawa. This is the place to look for the latest on school bus cancellations due to bad weather.
Drives Traffic Ottawa
Real-time traffic information service for smartphones.
Ottawa Maps Guide
A huge variety of local maps to help you get around.
City of Ottawa SNOWLINE: 580-2460 (for updates about snow clearing and when you can and can't park your car on city streets)

Driving Conditions - Highway

Eastern Ontario Road Conditions
An interactive map showing road conditions (including construction and weather) on major highways in our area.
See also: Traveller's info for Ontario
Ontario highway updates via Twitter, listing unscheduled road closures and events for Ontario provincial highways
@Hwy401
@Hwy417
@_mto (all provincial highways)
U.S. Border waiting times
Updated regularly by the Canadian Border Services Agency. Wait times are also available via Twitter for select crossings. Here are the feeds for the Thousand Islands Bridge and Cornwall.
Highway 416 info
Also known as the Veterans Memorial Highway, this 80km roadway connects Ottawa with Highway 401.

Driver's License & Training

Driver's License info
Ministry of Transportation
Ontario's Drive Clean program
Control Driving Skills
MSJL Training
Navigating Roundabouts
An interactive instructional flash video from the City of Ottawa
Ottawa Safety Council Motorcycle Rider Course

Parking tickets and traffic tickets

City of Ottawa Parking regulations (includes a link for paying your parking ticket online)
David Anber’s Legal Services
Dynamic Legal Solutions
Traffic TIcket Advisory Services Ltd.
Ontario Traffic Tickets
Ottawa Traffic Tickets
Pointts
SpeedTrap Exchange
A listing of common speed trap locations in North America. You can add your own comments and observations.
www.ImInTrouble.ca
XCopper Legal Services Inc.
The Hornet's Sting
A special Ottawa Citizen series on parking tickets in Ottawa

Mechanics

Add-Vance Service Centre
Atwill Service Centre
G&I Automotive (mechanic / car repairs in Kanata)
Maaco Ottawa South

Alternative Transportation

Commuter Challenge
Electric Vehicle Council of Ottawa
Human Powered Vehicle Operators of Ottawa
OC Transpo (bus/transit/o-train)
OttawaCarPool.ca
Ottawa Cycling
ott.rides
(carpool / ride offers)
Scooteretti Electric Scooter Co.
VRTUCAR (car sharing service)

Car Rentals

Parking

Buy & Sell

Events

Automotive Clubs

Miscellaneous (Accessories, etc.)

After Market Car Parts
Bullet Engines (high performance custom engines)
Canadian Automobile Association (CAA) (Eastern Ontario)
Dent Tec (dent removal)
EZ Parts Trader
Interprovincial Crossings
JDM Ottawa Cars & Parts
k6 Media (vehicle graphics)
OttawaStart Blog: Driving
Queensway Coalition
Transport 2000 Canada
WorstRoads.ca
This site is run by a group of organizations to advocate for appropriate investments in municipal road maintenance and improvements. Motorists can vote on their choice for Ontario's worst road. In 2004, Ottawa's Limebank Road was chosen as Ottawa's worst. Bronson had the dubious honours in 2003. "[Bronson is an example] of our pagan society with our sacrifices of human blood to the 'God of the Road'," wrote one visitor.