Graphic city of Ottawa jaywalking ad part of a 'behaviour change campaign' on city roads, staff say

Two councillors are calling on the city of Ottawa to remove a social media test ad focusing on pedestrian jaywalking. One ad features an artist depiction of a bloodied pedestrian lying on the ground after being struck by a vehicle. (City of Ottawa)

City of Ottawa staff are defending the graphic nature of a new online advertisement aimed at discouraging jaywalking on city streets, saying it is part of a behavioural change campaign that will "depict the serious nature of road safety and lead to greater awareness to all road users of their responsibilities."

The city launched a series of test ads this week in advance of an official road safety campaign this fall, focusing on the behaviour of drivers, pedestrians and cyclists on roads across the city.

One advertisement has the image of a bloodied pedestrian lying on the ground, with the caption: "You jaywalked to save time. But you lost it. Forever. Cross only where it is safe."

The city of Ottawa launched a new social media test ad focusing on pedestrian jaywalking. It's one of several test ads running ahead of a road safety campaign this fall. (City of Ottawa/Facebook)

Coun. Shawn Menard said on X, the platform formerly known as Twitter, that his office and Coun. Marty Carr requested staff remove the ad immediately, while Coun. Sean Devine expressed his "concern with this ad and the messaging it conveys."

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Several social media users condemned the ads on Saturday.

"We continually flame road violence as an outcome of personal choices yet we all know very well it's the result of our cities choices," Tom Flood said on X, the platform formerly known as Twitter.

"This is an unacceptable ad; victim blaming road violence is not the city I believe in," architect Toon Dreessen said.

In a memo to council Saturday afternoon, obtained by CTV News Ottawa, Public Works General Manager Alain Gonthier apologized to councillors for not providing a heads up on the launch of the test ads, but defended the approach of the city.

"We acknowledge the graphic nature of the visuals," Gonthier writes.

"The evidence-based strategy and approach this campaign is using has been developed based on the city’s collisions data on fatalities and serious injuries. The ultimate goal is to reduce this number to zero.

"We believe this approach will depict the serious nature of road safety and lead to a greater awareness to all road users of their responsibilities, which will contribute to our goal of saving lives."

Gonthier says while the "initial reaction is focused on the pedestrian jaywalking", there are similar pedestrian injury test ads that speak to driver behavior.

"We realize that seeing only the pedestrian behaviour seems unfair or an incomplete picture. Likewise, there are ads with cyclist injuries speaking to driver and or to cyclist behaviour, as the data supports."

The city of Ottawa launched a new social media test ad campaign focusing on driver, pedestrian and cyclist behaviours and safety. (City of Ottawa/memo)

Statistics provided by Gonthier shows 25 per cent of all fatal and major injury collisions on Ottawa's roads involve pedestrians. The memo provided data on collisions between 2017 and 2021 on Ottawa roads:

• 29 per cent of fatal and major injury collisions involving a pedestrian occurred when a pedestrian was crossing a road midblock (away from an intersection)
• 23 per cent of fatal and major injury collisions involving a pedestrian occurred when a pedestrian with the right-of-way was struck at an intersection by a left turning driver
• 11 per cent of fatal and major injury collisions involving a pedestrian occurred when a pedestrian who did not have the right-of-way was struck by a vehicle travelling straight through an intersection

Ottawa's Road Safety Action Plan aims to reduce fatal and major injury collisions by 20 per cent by 2024, with a longer-term goal of zero fatal and major injury collisions.

Gonthier says the city of Ottawa is using several ads as part of the testing phase ahead of the full launch of the road safety campaign this fall.

"The ads are from the different perspectives of different road users. There is no intent to use all of the test advertisements as part of the larger campaign," Gonthier said.

"The image that is currently being shared online is only one of the multiple versions that were created to test the advertisements."

The test ads will be running for a few weeks, with a target primary demographic of males aged 18 to 44, and the results will "inform the final direction of the campaign," the city says.

Gonthier says the test ads are part of the developing education component, which has the "overall aim of de-normalizing unsafe road behaviour and developing a culture of road safety in Ottawa."

"This is a behavioural change campaign that is founded on our data on fatal and major injury collisions and research into the public’s behaviour and perceptions," Gonthier says.

The city of Ottawa launched a new social media test ad campaign focusing on driver, pedestrian and cyclist behaviours and safety. (City of Ottawa/Facebook)

Another ad for the campaign targeting drivers shows a bloodied pedestrian lying on the smashed windshield of the car, with the caption: "You drove impaired this one time. But you killed mine. Don't drive under the influence."

An ad highlighting the dangers of texting and driving shows a driver texting with a cyclist in front of the vehicle: You texted to kill time. But you killed mine instead. Every text can wait."