Oversized Signs Halt Ottawa's School Safety Plan
The City of Ottawa faces an unexpected hurdle in its plan to enhance school zone safety. New temporary signs intended to warn drivers of increased speeding fines have arrived, but they are too large to fit on the city's standard street poles, according to Beacon Hill-Cyrville Coun. Tim Tierney.
A Logistical Headache
The provincial government manufactured and shipped the signs as an alternative speed-reduction measure, following its ban on speed cameras. However, Tierney describes them as 12-foot-tall "highway-sized, giant signs" that are incompatible with existing infrastructure. This incompatibility has left the city's installation timeline unclear as officials scramble to find a solution.
These signs are a temporary fix. The province is still developing the design for the final versions, which are expected to include large, flashing beacons. Regulatory changes for these new signs are also underway.
Doubts About Effectiveness
Beyond the logistical problem, Coun. Tierney has expressed skepticism about the signs' ability to effectively slow drivers. He stated that data suggests signs alone have a limited long-term impact on driver behaviour. "Our data shows signs don't do anything, so they'll change a pattern for maybe a little bit, then people will go right back to it," said Tierney, who also chairs the public works and infrastructure committee.
He was particularly critical of the proposed flashing beacons, quipping, "It's like, wait a minute, hold on. Is this a Vegas sign? Yeah, like that's going to stop everybody dead in their tracks."
Other Measures and Silver Linings
With the speed cameras deactivated, the city is exploring other traffic-calming measures for school zones. Tierney confirmed that police enforcement has increased in areas where the cameras were previously located.
One potential delay has been avoided: the signs delivered to Ottawa are bilingual. This addresses prior concerns, as English-only concepts would not have been suitable for the officially bilingual city. The provincial Ministry of Transportation did not provide comment on the signs' exact dimensions or the reasoning behind their large size.
