In what has been a deadly year on Ottawa’s roads, Mayor Mark Sutcliffe is calling for action to combat fatalities, but questions are being raised as to whether the money will follow. So far this year, 32 people have died on city roadways, up from 2025’s total of 23 deaths. At a news conference last Thursday, Sutcliffe said he wants to launch an investigation into Ottawa’s 50 worst intersections and improve safety at those locations. But this type of safety review as been done before with little outcome. This time, the safety group Vision Zero Ottawa is calling for action to be put to words. “We have seen plans for improving dangerous intersections before… but unfortunately, city council sort of balked at the cost and did not invest in that. So, here we are years later and another promise to fix dangerous intersections,” said Eugenie Waters, a spokesperson for Vision Zero Ottawa. In 2020, a city report identified 29 problematic intersections throughout Ottawa with proposed safety redesigns, largely for the creation of protected intersections and bike lanes. The cost to implement those safety redesigns was $32 million, which the city said it did not have the money for. “We’ve identified that addressing those intersections would have cost $32 million, however, many years ago, and that council said that that price was too high to pay,” said Knoxdale-Merivale Coun. Sean Devine. “Those costs have only increased by now and look how many lives we’ve lost. I don’t think I want to be putting a price on that.” Among that list of 29 intersections, two major ones fell within Devine’s ward at West Hunt Club Road at Merivale Road and West Hunt Club Road at Prince of Wales Drive. “As horrible as it is, now is the time for us to look at our budgets and say, how far are we willing to go to address this,” he said. “I know that there are many, many families across Ward 9 - and across the city - that can only wish that we would have done this several years ago.” Waters says Vision Zero Ottawa is calling for protected intersections to increase safety at as many intersections as possible. Protected intersections are intersections that reduce conflict between different modes of transportation. There are individualized spaces for drives, cyclists, and pedestrians. Protected intersections also feature reduced speeds and minimize the use of right turn slip lanes, which allow drivers to maintain speed and look left while turning right. “We should design the system so that if you do make a mistake, you’re not going to kill someone while you’re driving,” said Waters. “And if you do make a mistake while you’re crossing the road, you’re not going to die.” No timeline has been set for Sutcliffe’s announced investigation into Ottawa’s 50 worst intersections. “This is a $5 billion annual budget,” said Devine. “Surely, we can find it within ourselves to spend the money required so that no other parents have to get news about their kid being killed at an intersection.”
