The Sudden Silence: Ottawa's Photo Radar Goes Dark, But Not for Good

Well, here's a bit of news that might just make some Ottawa drivers breathe a sigh of... well, maybe not relief, but certainly surprise. As of November 14th, the city's much-debated automated speed enforcement (ASE) cameras, those silent sentinels often referred to as photo radar, are officially being powered down. You could say it’s a sudden, rather dramatic pause in the ongoing saga of urban traffic enforcement.

But why, you ask? Honestly, it all boils down to a technicality, a rather significant procedural misstep according to an Ontario Court of Justice ruling. Justice Fred B. Scully, overseeing a case involving a specific ticket on Riverside Drive, found that the city hadn't quite followed the rulebook when it came to publicly designating where these cameras would be lurking. It wasn’t about whether the cameras worked, or if speeding was bad; no, it was about due process, about telling people clearly, explicitly, the exact spots. And for once, that oversight has consequences.

The fallout, in truth, is already being felt. For anyone who received a ticket between July 13th and November 9th from one of these now-idle cameras, the city has a bit of an apology (and a refund) in store. Yes, those fines, likely paid with a groan and a grumble, are being returned. It’s a costly lesson, certainly, for city hall, given the tens of thousands of tickets issued since the program first kicked off as a pilot back in July 2020. And let's not forget the millions in revenue these cameras generated – money that, for now, is staying in people's pockets.

Now, before anyone gets too comfortable with a heavy foot on the gas pedal, let's be clear: this isn't a permanent farewell. Not by a long shot. The judge's ruling didn't actually quash the entire ASE program; rather, it pinpointed the specific flaw in how those individual camera locations were approved. So, the city's plan? It's straightforward enough: they'll simply — or perhaps not so simply — pass a new by-law, dotting every 'i' and crossing every 't' to ensure those camera locations are designated with impeccable legal precision. And then, well, then the cameras will be back.

They really do believe in these cameras, you know. The city has consistently championed them as a vital tool in curbing speeding, especially in community safety zones, and honestly, to make our streets safer. And, you could argue, there's a point to that. For a time, there were 16 of these devices rotating through 33 zones. They were an unmistakable presence, if not always a welcome one, in the landscape of Ottawa's roads. The expectation is that they'll return in 2024, presumably after all the legal ducks are in a perfectly straight, legally sound row. So, enjoy the brief respite, drivers, but don't get too used to it. The watchful eyes, it seems, will be back.