Ottawa to use ‘stronger poles and foundations’ to install oversized school-zone signs

The Ontario government sent the City of Ottawa new oversized "school zone" signs to replace photo radar cameras. The city says the signs "are large and cannot be accommodated on standard posts." (Tim Tierney/Ottawa councillor)

The City of Ottawa will use stronger poles and foundations to install the temporary school-zone signs at former photo radar camera locations, after the signs were determined to be too big for standard street poles.

As part of the Ontario government legislation to ban photo radar cameras on municipal roads, the city is required to install signs notifying drivers they’re in school zones and there are increased fines for speeding.

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

However, city staff said the temporary 12-foot-tall signs could not be accommodated on standard street poles. All road signs on Ottawa streets must be bilingual, requiring the signs to be larger.

In a statement to CTV News Ottawa, the program manager for Automated Enforcement Programs said the city is taking steps to install the signs.

“City staff have assessed and will use stronger poles and foundations at some sites, which requires more time and coordination during the installation process,” Kunjan Ghimire said in an email.

“Each site will need to be assessed individually to ensure preparatory work, including locates and hydrovac work, is completed before installation can proceed. At locations without utility conflicts, our team will move forward with next steps, including permits and approvals.

“In the meantime, signs that can be mounted on existing streetlight poles will be installed, even if other signs at the same location are delayed.”

Ghimire said the city received confirmation during the first week of December that utility locates were completed at 20 former photo radar camera locations to install signs, and work orders for the next 20 sites were approved on Dec. 10.

“The installation timeline will depend on site conditions, utility locates, and weather,” Ghimire said.

“The city continues to work closely with the province and remains focused on road safety for all road users and pedestrians.”

The City of Ottawa will install four signs at each location where automated speed enforcement units were previously deployed near school zones. The signs include two “school zone/area” signs and two “school zone/area ahead” signs.

Municipalities must install large new signs to slow down drivers this fall, with permanent, large signs with flashing lights to be in place by September 2026.

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 have been issued through photo radar cameras on Ottawa roads since July 2020.