Two months after photo radar cameras were removed across Ontario, preliminary City of Ottawa data from a handful of old photo radar sites show a steep drop in driver compliance through school and community safety zones. Before the cameras were installed four years ago, roughly 17 per cent of motorists followed the posted speed limits. That jumped to 67 per cent during the first year of photo radar. In the last year before the cameras were banned, compliance reached 87 per cent. Within a week of the cameras’ removal, that fell to 62 per cent, and three weeks later, it had dropped to 50 per cent. “When the province introduced this camera idea, they said it was all supported by data. So, where’s the data that suggests that it needs to be taken?” said local resident Giovanni Carlucci. “Now they know the cameras are gone, and when summertime comes out, they’ll be racing again.” Carlucci told CTV News Ottawa in October that photo radar should remain in front of schools, to “prioritize the safety of our children.” And while his opinion hasn’t changed, Carlucci argues enforcement alone was never enough. He has long argued drivers slow for cameras, then speed up again, making traffic-calming measures key around schools. “If you get somebody who’s driving a rickety car down the street and they hit a speed bump, that guy hits a speed bump, what happens?” he said—just as a car moving far above the speed limit passed by along Cambrian Road in Barrhaven in front of his children’s school. “Is it better that he ends up with a $70 fine? Or is it better that he ends up with a $700-plus bill at the mechanic at the end of the day? That’s for him to decide.” Ottawa Coun. Tim Tierney says speeding has increased dramatically in front of schools already but enforcement has also ramped up. “We have our community policing model there right now. People are getting tickets fast and furious. That does come with demerit points. There’s not going to be a whole series of warnings and you’re going to face big fines and penalties because we want to keep our pedestrians and our children safe,” he said. Tierney says the next step is to begin installing the province’s large signs and flashing lights outside of school zones, which he expects to begin this spring. But he worries it may not be enough. The cost for the signs is supposed to be covered by the province through a $210 million pool of cash for Ontario municipalities. “Unfortunately, I don’t think they’re going to be successful in slowing people down and we have to look at other measures to be able to control traffic,” Tierney said. “As for the cost to install and wire these signs, they are evolving very quickly with this project that I don’t think was anticipated by the province, and we want to ensure that we are made whole out of this.” Without a proven fix, Carlucci says it’s time for drivers to reflect and consider one simple question. “Why are you speeding in a school zone?”
