Jim Watson now open to photo radar, but only in school zones

Ottawa's mayor is urging city councillors to support a pilot project that would see photo radar in school zones, and to ask the Ontario government for the power to use the technology.

It's a change of stance on the mayor's part, as Watson had earlier said he was "not convinced" of the public demand for photo radar, and worried the technology could become a "cash grab" for the city.

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Councillors debated the contentious issue at the city's transportation committee Wednesday, and approved the approach promoted by Watson.

River ward Coun. Riley Brockington first brought a motion to city council in March to request permission from the province to allow municipalities to bring in photo radar on local streets as a way to cut down on speeding and make city roads safer. 

But the issue was punted ahead to today's transportation committee agenda, in part to give members of the public a chance to present their views on the subject.

Mayor pushes for changes

Just as the meeting was about to start, Watson announced he'd been working with transportation committee chair Keith Egli on a version of Brockington's idea that would see the technology used only in school zones, and only if the ward councillor wants it.

"I believe this is a solid way forward for those who are hesitant about a wide-scale rollout of photo radar on streets where it may not be warranted; or for those who are concerned with the tool being used as a limitless revenue generating measure," he wrote to councillors.

"The original proposal brought forward by Coun. Brockington was silent on the issue of where the money was going to go and how much money was going to be raised," Watson told reporters later. "We've seen in other jurisdictions where the threshold has been lowered and more money has been pouring into city coffers around the country."

Any money generated by the photo radar pilot project would go into road safety programs, Watson added, and not into general city coffers.

The amended proposal would also renew a bid to lower speed limits on residential streets from 50km/hr to 40km/hr.

Now that the motion has transportation committee's approval, it must be voted on by full city council.

Public delegations favour photo radar

Most of the 17 public delegations at Wednesday's committee meeting spoke in favour of using the technology.

"What's the fuss with photo radar?" asked Mike Powell. "It's reasonable, I think, that people are going to be annoyed at photo radar because they get more tickets when they speed. But we should be looking that as a feature not a fault."

Powell is part of a group called Safe Streets Ottawa, which collected 800 signatures from every ward in the city to argue for the technology.

Photo radar is not about grabbing cash but about safety, enforcing the law, and keeping children safe, argued Wallace Beaton who works on children having safe routes to school for Green Communities Canada.

Beaton went to the meeting to push for the idea of photo radar generally, but also liked the mayor's and Egli's amendment for a pilot project in school zones.

"Given where I'm coming from, I'd be thrilled with that," said Beaton.