Ottawa drivers who ignore school buses which have their stop-arms extended risk getting caught on camera and incurring a $490 fine thanks to a new initiative being implemented by the city under it’s Safe Roads program.

Cumberland Ward councillor Stephen Blais was joined by Mayor Jim Watson in announcing the city`s latest Safe Roads initiative to install surveillance cameras on the stop-arms of six school buses by next September. PHOTO SUPPLIED

According to Cumberland Ward councillor Stephen Blais, who has been pushing for the cameras for the past four years, a set of four cameras will be installed on the exterior of six different buses – two immediately and another four in September.

The cameras will be connected to a series of sensors which will be activated when the system detects a vehicle passing the bus when it is fully stopped. The cameras will record a short video which will be relayed to a secure server, where members of the Ottawa Police Traffic Enforcement Services will access and review the footage to determine if charges should be laid.

The initiative is similar to the red light camera program in that the owner of the vehicle receives the fine regardless of who is driving.

“The program is all about protecting children,” explains Blais. “Many drivers don’t realize the safety concerns that come with not stopping for school buses, and that’s something we hope this program will address.”

Blais joined forces with M.L. Bradley Ltd. in Navan to establish a stop-arm camera pilot program in 2016 that was called “I Stop, You Stop”.

During the first two months the pro-gram was in place, an average of five motorists drove by the extended stop-arm with its flashing red light every day. The number stunned Blais, who has been lobbying his fellow councillors and city staff to make the cameras permanent ever since.

The effectiveness of the program will rely on the fact that motorists won’t know which school buses will have the cameras and which will not. At least two school buses in the east end will be equipped with them.

“We want to ensure drivers are attentive and focused on safety every time they are behind the wheel, and especially when driving in proximity to school buses,” says Blais, who also announced the creation of a “Constable Scarecrow” program last week to combat speeding in school zones.

Constable Scarecrow is actually a life-size, metal cut-out of a police officer holding a radar gun. The Constable Scarecrow was used with great success during a two-month pilot project on Coquitlam, B.C.

The Ottawa Police Service will place scarecrows at two sites -- one on Portobello Blvd. in the east end and the other on Bridge Street in Manotick where speeding in school zones has become a major issue. Each sign costs about $165 and are tamper-resistant and waterproof.

“The Coquitlam pilot project has shown that this is an extremely cost-effective way to cut down on speeding in school zones,” says Blais.

(This story was made possible thanks to the generous support of our local business partners.)