Oversized school-zone signs to replace photo radar cameras too big for Ottawa’s street posts

The new signs meant to be installed in areas Ottawa’s photo radar cameras once policed are too big for city poles. CTV’s Katie Griffin reports.

The temporary 12-foot-tall school zone signs intended to replace photo radar cameras are too big for the City of Ottawa’s standard street poles.

As part of the Ontario legislation banning photo radar cameras on municipal roads, the provincial government is requiring municipalities to install signs in all school zones in November.

• Ottawa receives $4 million to install traffic calming measures at photo radar locations

The Ministry of Transportation has sent the city temporary signs to slow down drivers in school zones, but the city says they don’t fit on current poles.

“The temporary signs we have received are large and cannot be accommodated on standard posts,” Krista Tanaka, director of Traffic Services, said in a statement to CTV News Ottawa.

“We are working with the province on a solution to install the signs as soon as possible.”

Coun. Tim Tierney says the large signs are posing a “new challenge for the City of Ottawa.”

“They’ve shipped the temporary 12-foot-tall signs that won’t fit on our poles, that act as a giant wind sail,” Tierney told Newstalk 580 CFRA’s The Morning Rush with Bill Carroll.

“Those are the temporary ones; I’m hoping the province changes their mind and makes them a little bit smaller.”

Tierney shared a photo with CTV News Ottawa lying down on the school zone signs sent to the City of Ottawa.

All road signs in Ottawa must be bilingual.

Tierney says the city received dozens of signs to install in the 50 school zones where photo radar cameras were located.

The Ontario government passed legislation this fall to ban automated speed enforcement cameras on all roads across the province, with the camera required to be turned off by Nov. 14.

The legislation required municipalities to install large new signs to “slow down drivers” by mid-November, with permanent, large signs with flashing lights to be in place by September 2026.

In a memo to council Tuesday morning, Public Works general manager Alain Gonthier said the city is continuing to work with the Ontario government on the “implementation of new, oversized school zone signage.”

“Once the new signs have been received from the province, staff will coordinate installation at former ASE sites in school zones as soon as operationally feasible.”

Residents disagree on whether giant signs will slow down drivers.

“They’re obnoxious but sometimes people need to have a slap in the face that’s bigger than life to make them wake up,” said Marj Kurz.

“It doesn’t matter what size it is, people don’t follow them anyways,” said Pierre Berard. “I don’t see what they’re doing. How can you have a bigger sign for a post it doesn’t fit; it doesn’t make sense.”

“I don’t think the signage will work as well as speed cameras…I don’t think they’ve thought things through,” said Glen Mullins.

The City of Ottawa had 60 photo radar cameras in school zones and high-speed areas, with work underway to install 24 new cameras this fall.

A total of 244,484 speeding tickets were issued through the automated speed enforcement program between January and September. More than one million tickets were issued through photo radar cameras on Ottawa roads since July 2020.

With files from CTV News Ottawa’s Katie Griffin