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3h ago

Ottawa Speed Cameras Draw Mixed Response as City Extends Data-Driven Rollout

New letters underscore tension between safety goals versus claims of opaque enforcement.

Ontario Premier Doug Ford plows a furrow with a tractor at the 2025 International Plowing Match in Grassie, Ont., on Tuesday, Sept. 16, 2025.
A sign letting residents and commuters know that a speed camera will be installed on Jameson Ave., photographed on Feb. 3 2020.
A speed camera on Main Street from Evelyn Avenue to Springhurst Avenue in Ottawa.
Municipal speed camera coming soon sign on Bank Street in the Glebe.

Overview

  • The City of Ottawa continues to install automated speed cameras at locations chosen using speeding, collision and pedestrian data.
  • Several readers label the program a cash grab, say camera-zone signs are too easy to miss, and cite tickets in high-school zones at 50–51 km/h.
  • Letter writers report that officials will not disclose activation thresholds and suspect cameras trigger just a few kilometres over the posted limit.
  • Others defend cameras as effective in school areas, though some describe drivers braking near devices and accelerating immediately afterward.
  • In the broader Ontario dispute, a columnist highlights Premier Doug Ford’s threat to force removals, reports of 16 Toronto cameras vandalized, and cited data showing reduced speeding alongside significant fine revenue.