Ottawa drivers apparently needed the cameras more than anyone wanted to admit.
Since Ottawa's automated speed enforcement cameras went dark, speeding has crept back up on the roads where the devices once stood watch — a pattern that's frustrating residents and raising fresh questions about how the city plans to keep streets safe without them.
What Happened to the Cameras?
Ottawa's photo radar program placed fixed speed cameras in designated community safety zones — typically near schools and in residential areas with a history of speeding complaints. The cameras issued tickets automatically when drivers exceeded the posted limit, generating both revenue and, supporters argued, real behavioural change on local roads.
But the cameras are now gone from their posts. And if the early data is any indication, their absence is being felt.
Speeders Return Almost Immediately
It's a dynamic that traffic safety researchers have long documented: drivers slow down when they know they're being watched, and speed back up when they know they're not. Ottawa is proving no exception.
Residents in affected neighbourhoods have reported noticing faster traffic almost as soon as the cameras disappeared. For streets near schools and playgrounds — exactly the zones the program was designed to protect — that's a concerning development.
The pattern raises a pointed question: if the cameras were working, why are they gone?
The Debate Around Photo Radar
Automated speed enforcement has always been a flashpoint in Ottawa. Supporters point to the deterrent effect and the ability to enforce limits without requiring a police officer to be physically present. Critics, meanwhile, have questioned whether the cameras are more about generating ticket revenue than improving safety — and whether the fine structure is fair to lower-income drivers who may feel the financial sting more acutely.
There's also the perennial argument about placement: were the cameras located where speeding was genuinely dangerous, or where the catch rate was high?
Those debates haven't gone away. If anything, the return of speeding on formerly camera-patrolled roads is likely to reignite them.
What Comes Next?
For Ottawa residents who live on streets that benefited from the enforcement program, the question now is what replaces it. Traditional police radar patrols are resource-intensive and can't provide the same round-the-clock coverage. Traffic calming infrastructure — speed humps, raised crosswalks, narrowed lanes — offers a more permanent solution but comes with its own costs and neighbourhood debates.
City councillors will be under pressure to respond, especially if speeding incidents or collisions begin trending upward in areas that previously had camera coverage.
For now, Ottawa drivers would do well to remember that the posted limit is still the posted limit — camera or no camera.
Source: Ottawa Citizen via Google News
