‘No brainer’: Ford tells City of Ottawa to put speed bumps in school zones

Ontario Premier Doug Ford speaks to reporters at a media availability in Toronto on April 16, 2026. (CTV News Toronto)

Ontario Premier Doug Ford says the City of Ottawa should be putting speed bumps in school zones to slow drivers down, after new data shows speeding has increased in the months since photo radar cameras were turned off.

Ford banned automated speed enforcement (ASE) cameras in November 2025, calling them a “cash grab.” Data released by the city this week showed that in the months since they were turned off, the percentage of drivers going the speed limit in monitored areas dropped from 87 per cent to 41 per cent.

The proportion of drivers going 15 km/h or more above the limit rose from 0.3 per cent prior to the removal of the cameras to 4.5 per cent 12 weeks later.

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When asked about this at a media availability in Toronto on Thursday, Ford said the city should be installing speed bumps.

“We’ve already given them $4 million. This is a no-brainer. Put speed bumps in,” he said. “You don’t slow people down by getting a ticket four weeks or six weeks down the road. You put speed bumps in.”

Years of data since ASE cameras were first installed in Ottawa consistently showed drivers were slowing down on streets with cameras. The province, however, moved to remove them, despite Ottawa city council urging the Ontario government to allow them to remain in school zones.

Municipalities in Ontario are required to install large signs to slow down drivers in areas where photo radar cameras were located, with permanent signs and flashing lights to be in place by September; however, city staff in Ottawa say the required signage is too big to fit on the current poles the city has.

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In a statement issued to CTV News on Thursday evening, Heidi Cousineau, manager of traffic, safety and mobility with the City of Ottawa, said the city is finalizing assessments of 84 areas that previously used speed cameras to “determine feasibility of various kinds of traffic-calming measures.”

“Each assessment involves careful consideration of potential impacts on transit routes, emergency services response times, vibration impacts to nearby properties, drainage and underground infrastructure, and any conflicts with other planned construction in the area,” Cousineau wrote. “Feedback gathered through consultations is also an important part of this process.”

Cousineau says an update is due next week at the city’s Public Works and Infrastructure Committee.

On Monday, a driver was charged with dangerous operation after a crash that resulted in a vehicle landing on its roof outside an elementary school on Heron Road, right where a photo radar camera used to be. It’s unclear how fast the driver was going.

Alta Vista Ward Coun. Marty Carr told CTV News Ottawa the area does not meet the criteria for installing speed bumps.

Ford said he would meet with Mayor Mark Sutcliffe next week.

“I’ll be there Monday; I’ll talk to the mayor. It’s not hard and it doesn’t take long. Put the speed bumps in. It’s like a no-brainer,” he said.