ottawa reporting more speeding in school zones since cameras were banned
3 minute read
a january file photo of speed signage in an orléans school zone.
tony caldwell
/
ottawa citizen/postmedia
four months after the ontario government banned automated speed enforcement cameras, there has been a “significant uptick” in speeding in school zones in ottawa, according to the head of the city’s public works and infrastructure committee.
that assessment comes amid heightened concern about safety in school zones after the death of barrhaven crossing guard peter clark. he was struck by a truck while on the job on march 23 — a day dedicated to honouring school crossing guards. a 19-year-old man has been charged with failure to stop after an accident causing death.
earlier in march a five-year-old child was left in serious condition after being struck by a car near another barrhaven school.
coun. tim tierney noted there was evidence that the speed cameras had been making a difference.
“would it have changed this tragedy? we don’t know. but clearly the cameras were helping in many areas,” said tierney, the councillor for beacon hill-cyrville ward.
the province banned automated speed enforcement cameras last november after premier doug ford criticized them as a cash grab by municipalities. the province announced the cameras would be replaced with other traffic-calming measures, part of a $210-million road safety initiatives fund. those measures included larger signs, lights and speed bumps.
city council unanimously supported a motion urging the province to let ottawa keep its 60 active cameras, most of which were in school zones. mayor mark sutcliffe said he fundamentally disagreed with the province’s decision, calling the cameras effective and necessary tools to slow down drivers, particularly in school zones.
there had not been a camera at the site where clark was struck at the intersection of cedarview road and kennevale drive in barrhaven. the closest one had been at a school three blocks away.
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on wednesday, sutcliffe said it was too soon to understand all the factors in clark’s death.
“this was a horrible, tragic event. this is somebody who was working to protect children and tragically lost his life doing that. it is heartbreaking to see that. once we know more about what took place that day, we will be prepared to look at any and all options to protect the safety of crossing guards and children.”
among other things, sutcliffe said he would consider making another plea to the province for speed cameras if there was sufficient evidence showing that the elimination of speed cameras was reducing safety.
“we had evidence that showed speed cameras were working and reducing speeds, in particular, around schools. i didn’t agree with the decision to remove them,” sutcliffe said.
“if the province would be willing to let us put them back into school zones, i would be very grateful for that, and i think it would improve safety, but it is not our decision. it is the provincial government’s decision.”
tierney said the giant school-zone signs the province sent as part of its safety initiative had not resulted in any reduction in speeding.
tierney said other proposed aspects of the province’s road safety initiative were not as easy to bring on board.
speed bumps can only be installed in the warmer months, which takes time, and even then emergency services have concerns about them being on certain roads.
flexi posts, which are often put in place through city councillors’ budgets, can only be used in the warmer months, which means they’re only in place for part of the school year.
“unless you hit people in the pocketbooks, you are not going to see that change,” tierney said.
he said there was already a bigger police presence around some schools to try to control speeding.
tierney said he was also trying to engage with school boards about parents dropping off children at school and possibly causing safety hazards for students.
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orléans mpp stephen blais asked for a minute of silence in clark’s memory in the ontario legislature on march 24. he said the province’s promise of a robust program to slow traffic down had not materialized.
blais also said ottawa should be more proactive about pedestrian safety during development.
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