The City of Ottawa says more drivers are speeding in school zones five months after the Ontario government shut off automated speed enforcement (ASE) cameras.
A new report for the city’s public works and infrastructure committee cites preliminary data showing that speeding is up at locations where the cameras were installed.
Staff note the findings do not factor in signage the province has ordered to replace those cameras; those signs are still being installed, the report added.
“Based on data from the original pilot cameras, driver compliance with posted speed limits showed sustained and continuous improvement year over year. From 16 per cent before the cameras were installed to 87 per cent after four years,” staff said in the report, which was based on data from six of eight sites due to technical issues causing data unavailability.
“High-end speeding was also greatly reduced, dropping from 14 per cent before installation to only 0.3 per cent after four years.”
Just one week after their removal, compliance with the posted speed limit dropped to 62 per cent from 87 per cent. Instances of high-end speed rose to 2.2 per cent from 0.3 per cent.
Twelve weeks post-ASE, speed compliance sank to 41 per cent and reports of speeding were at 4.5 per cent.
“That’s a significant decline, and a clear setback when it comes to road safety in our communities,” Beacon Hill-Cyrville Coun. Tim Tierney, who chairs the committee, said in a post on X Tuesday.
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“As we move forward with our traffic safety plan, we will need to identify and implement alternative measures that ensure drivers slow down and residents feel safe on their streets.”
Premier Doug Ford railed last year against the cameras, saying they don’t work and calling them a municipal “cash grab.”
A study from Toronto’s Hospital for Sick Children disagreed with that assertion, finding that speeding was reduced by 45 per cent in Toronto. Despite this, Ford was unwavering in his plan to replace the cameras, which caught cabinet ministers’ vehicles speeding more than 20 times.
The day before the ban officially came into place, the government unveiled $210 million for cities to install speed bumps, roundabouts and flashing signs instead.
An initial amount of $42 million was made immediately available and divided based on existing programs. The remaining $168 million will be shared among municipalities after they complete plans for 2026.
Staff said the province has committed up to $23.8 million to replace the cameras, which brought in roughly $15 million every year.
Without them this year, Ottawa can expect to generate just $800,000 from outstanding infractions, staff said.
The city also needs to shrink the 2026 Road Safety Action Plan capital program to $7.5 million from $15 million given the “loss of this major funding source.”
“This is not the direction we want to be heading, but the data is clear and it reinforces the need to act,” Tierney wrote.
The committee is scheduled to discuss the report at its April 23 meeting.
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