Councillors on the Transportation Committee are getting ready to vote on photo radar.
The controversial technology used to nab speeding drivers is up for debate Wednesday when the committee meets. The debate comes several months after Councillor Riley Brockington proposed a motion requesting the province allow the city of Ottawa to install photo radar. The motion was seconded by Ward 5 Councillor Eli El-Chantiry.
"It's not going to replace a police officer. We know the benefit of having a police officer present, but we can't be on every street corner and on every street," El-Chantiry said.
> Photo radar was briefly introduced by then-NDP Premier Bob Rae. The Harris government cancelled the program less than one year later.
"A lot of people think it's a money grab or a cash grab, whatever the term they use but my simple answer is if you aren't speeding, you don't have to fear for the camera no matter where they are located," he added.
The councillors who proposed the motion say photo radar would not be used to replace traffic and patrol officers, but rather to enhance the city's ability to crack down on speeding. The cameras, which capture photographs of drivers going anywhere from 6km to 10km over the limit, could be installed in school zones and troublesome rural and residential roads where speeding is a problem.
Michael Powell of Safe Streets Ottawa started a petition to get photo radar in Ottawa. That petition now has over 800 signatures.
“People can very comfortably exceed the law right now without getting ticketed. What we want to see is more certainty in that so people will hopefully slow down." he said.
Some, however, believe photo radar is a cash grab, an excuse for the city to gain money at a time of ballooning policing costs and budget cuts. Others worry there are privacy issues associated with photographing license plates and cars.
El-Chantiry said all those issues and concerns will be studied and heard before any final decision is made. The city will also be looking to other municipalities, such as Gatineau, and Calgary who already have photo radar, as examples of the technology's potential impacts.
If the motion passes at the transportation committee, it will then be sent to the entire council for a vote. The motion then has to be approved by the Ontario Government before any cameras can be installed.
