Over the course of the next calendar year, the Automated Speed Enforcement (ASE) Program will be expanded to include an additional 17 cameras, bringing the total number of active ASE sites to 40 city-wide by the end of 2023. I am happy to share that two locations from Bay Ward have been added to the list. Speed cameras will be installed on Woodroffe Avenue (between Anthony to Saville) near Woodroffe Public School and on Woodroffe Avenue between Georgina to the 417 near D. Roy Kennedy Public. I appreciate City staff working with my office to have this area included in the ASE program.
As of October 2021, the ASE Program has been operationalized and made permanent. Council approved the program as part of the ASE and School Bus Camera Pilot Projects Report . The report served to, among other goals, inform Committee and Council members on the findings of the 2020-2021 ASE pilot project. Where installed, speed cameras were found effective at increasing compliance to the posted speed limit, which reduces the risk to vulnerable road users. As part of the report, staff informed members of Council that ASE cameras would be installed at the rate of anywhere between 15 and 25 new locations each year over the 2022 to 2026 Term of Council. In 2022, although fifteen speed camera installations were planned, only nine were completed, and the remaining six installations have been pushed to Spring of 2023.
Contractor availability and inability to meet 2022 delivery timelines given construction industry-related labour strikes and shortages caused the delays to implementation. In 2023, an additional 17 locations will be equipped with speed cameras. Five of the 17 sites identified for implementation in 2023 are pending Hydro Ottawa review to confirm appropriate on-site power requirements. All other speed camera locations sites have been reviewed and meet vendor technical and design specifications, include available hydro requirements, have sufficient space for the device, and the corresponding signage. Unforeseen underground constraints limiting the installation at a particular site is always a possibility. Any such issues will be confirmed through the circulation process. In the event that installation at a certain site cannot occur, an alternate high-ranking location will be selected from the ASE camera location prioritization list and this information will be shared with Council.
Of the identified 2023 ASE speed camera locations, 11 are within school areas. These locations have been selected based on a data-driven approach, taking into consideration compliance with the speed limit, number of high-end speeders (those travelling 15 km/h or more over speed limit), number of students potentially travelling to school using active transportation, collisions, and the school’s participation in a safe and active routes to school program. Two locations are within park areas selected by the new evaluation and screening criteria developed for ASE site selection within the vicinity of parks/playgrounds. Some of the criteria considered includes park classification, collision history, roadway classification, speeding issues, pedestrian activity and proximity to schools.
Council approved the October 2021 Transportation Committee recommendation to conduct a pilot study to determine if the ASE program could be expanded to other areas, not necessarily within close proximity to schools and/or parks, where speeding is a concern. As such, four new locations are within areas along high-speed roadways and are being piloted to determine their effectiveness at reducing the number of high-speed drivers and incidences of street racing. Criteria considered to select these locations include collision history, speeding issues, proximity to schools and feedback from Ottawa Police Services, including indications of problematic areas for speeding. Two locations are along high-speed roadways where there are generally lower pedestrian volumes, while two locations are along high-speed roadways within communities with a high pedestrian modal share. Piloting the effectiveness of ASE cameras within these high-speed areas will meet the direction provided in October 2021 during deliberations of the ASE and School Bus Camera Pilot Projects Report. The outcome of the pilot will be shared with Council members as part of the 2025 Road Safety Action Plan Annual Report. Please visit ottawa.ca for more information on Automated Speed Enforcement and for a list of existing speed camera locations.
