King Edward Avenue residents say drivers have gotten more dangerous without speed cameras

People living along one of the Ottawa’s busiest streets say drivers are only getting faster now that Ontario has scrapped speed cameras provincewide.

“I think the effect was almost immediate really,” said Josiah Frith, chair of the Lowertown Community Association's transportation committee.

“It even happened before the cameras were taken down. People started behaving as though the tickets that were written would probably not be admissible.”

In 2024, the speed camera on King Edward Avenue led the city with 59,656 violations. As of November this year, city data shows it had already recorded 33,144 violations, again leading the city.

Still, Frith says when the cameras were in place, speeds along King Edward — even if they were above the limit — were much more consistent.

Very few people driving down King Edward actually live in the area, he said, but their high speeds pose dangers for people on the sidewalks and in their own homes.

“When you’re going fast — and if you’re going in the outside lanes — there’s a rumble in your house,” said Sandra Milton, who co-chairs the association's safety and security committee.

Much of the traffic along King Edward owes to the fact it's an interprovincial route, particularly for large trucks who cross the Macdonald-Cartier Bridge as they travel to and from Quebec.

Speed bumps 'not recommended'

Prior to the removal of speed cameras provincewide in November, Premier Doug Ford said they did little to entice drivers to slow down.

In their place, Ford proposed speed bumps, roundabouts and flashing signs, measures he said were more effective in enforcing speed limits.

Yet, Rideau-Vanier Coun. Stéphanie Plante says the measures wouldn’t be effective along an artery that's as busy or wide as King Edward Avenue.

“So on arterial routes, it’s not recommended that you put speed bumps because they are used by emergency service workers to access communities,” Plante said.

“I would never want anyone to be delayed or not have access to an ambulance simply because we had to put a speed bump in.”

In September, while campaigning for legislation to remove the cameras, Ford said the devices were little more than a “cash grab.” However, Frith argues that the money accumulated from the cameras actually helped improve infrastructure in the area.

“The maintenance of this road comes out of the budget for our ward, one of the most financially strapped wards in the city,” he said.

“The cameras were helping to start funding some of the repairs, some of the design changes that we were looking to do on King Edward to return this to a residential neighbourhood.”

Speeding drivers will be booed

Given the road’s use as an interprovincial route, Frith and Milton say their transportation committee has asked the city to consider handing over management of King Edward to the federal government, as well as getting an exemption from the provincial speed camera ban.

In the meantime, Plante says the city is expecting some funding from the province toward speed abatement measures, though it's still unclear exactly what they will be.

Residents are also planning community initiatives aimed at lead-footed drivers, she said, including a “speed camera party” where they'll use handheld devices and will "boo" any drivers exceeding the speed limit.

While Frith and Milton say more details are to come on where and when the parties will happen, Plante says she’ll definitely be in attendance.

“I will absolutely be joining them."