Motorists have paid $20 million in fines after being caught speeding by photo radar cameras so far this year, as the future of the automated speed enforcement camera program faces a bumpy road. Premier Doug Ford and the Ontario government urged municipalities to remove the photo radar cameras from streets last week, calling them “nothing but a tax grab. A spokesperson for Transportation Minister Prabmeet Sarkaria said the government is prepared to “help get rid” of the cameras when the Ontario Legislature resumes sitting this fall. The City of Ottawa’s program manager of automated speed enforcement (ASE) told CTV News Ottawa that between January and August, the revenue from the photo radar camera program totalled $20 million. Fines from red light cameras resulted in $7 million in revenue for the city. “Revenues generated through the ASE program are intended to cover these program costs, with any surplus directed to the Road Safety Reserve Fund to support initiatives outlined in the City’s Road Safety Action Plan,” Kunjan Ghimire said in an email. Statistics available on the City of Ottawa’s website show 190,439 tickets for speeding were issued through the automated speed enforcement camera program in the January to July period. The statistics for August were not available. A total of 383,830 speeding tickets were issued through the automated speed enforcement program in 2024. There are 60 photo radar cameras installed across the City of Ottawa, with work underway to install 24 more cameras this fall. The amount of the fine is based on how much the driver was exceeding the posted speed limit. Drivers caught by photo radar cameras in community safety zones and school zones will see the fines doubled. Busiest photo radar camera The photo radar camera on King Edward Avenue is Ottawa’s busiest camera. The camera on King Edward, between Bolton Street and St. Patrick Street, caught 22,927 speeding drivers in the January to July period. July was the busiest month for the photo radar camera, with 3,680 drivers caught speeding on King Edward Avenue. The photo radar camera on Walkley Road, between Halifax Drive and Harding Road, caught 11,845 speeders in the first seven months of the year. Here is a look at the busiest photo radar cameras in Ottawa (January to July)
