Ottawa's roads are getting faster — and not in a good way.
New data released by the City of Ottawa reveals that fewer than half of drivers are obeying posted speed limits at eight locations that previously hosted automated speed enforcement cameras. The numbers come months after the Ontario provincial government banned automated speed enforcement (ASE), removing a tool that city officials and safety advocates had credited with slowing traffic in school zones and community safety zones.
What the Numbers Show
The city's May figures paint a troubling picture. At the eight former camera sites surveyed, the majority of passing vehicles were clocked above the posted limit — meaning the cameras weren't just catching edge cases. They were catching the norm.
When the cameras were active, the technology is widely credited with changing driver behaviour at those specific locations. Enforcement letters, fines, and the mere presence of visible equipment prompted many motorists to ease off the gas. Without that deterrent, old habits appear to have returned quickly.
A Province-Wide Decision with Local Consequences
The province's ban on automated speed enforcement came into effect earlier this year, removing ASE programs from municipalities across Ontario. Ottawa had been among the cities leaning on the technology as part of a broader Vision Zero strategy — the goal of eliminating traffic fatalities and serious injuries on city streets.
City councillors and road safety advocates have been vocal in their criticism of the provincial decision, arguing it shifts risk back onto vulnerable road users: pedestrians, cyclists, and school children.
With manual police enforcement stretched thin, and photo radar no longer an option, the city is left with traditional tools — signage, speed humps, lane narrowing, and occasional patrol presence — to manage speeds in areas that were specifically flagged as dangerous enough to warrant cameras in the first place.
What Comes Next
The city has indicated it will continue monitoring speeds at former ASE locations. Whether that data gets used to push back on the province, advocate for new traffic calming infrastructure, or simply document the situation remains to be seen.
For residents living near these corridors, the data confirms what many say they've noticed firsthand: traffic is moving faster again, and the sense of safety that came with the cameras has faded.
Ottawa's Vision Zero plan still calls for significant reductions in traffic injuries and deaths. Hitting those targets without one of the most statistically effective enforcement tools available is going to be a much harder task.
If you live near a former camera site and have noticed a change in traffic behaviour, the city's traffic calming request process is still open — and councillor offices are tracking community concerns closely.
Source: CBC Ottawa. Original reporting at cbc.ca.