The Mayor of Ottawa said the city lost $1.1 million in revenue last year due to not mailing tickets in time to drivers caught speeding by radar cameras.

Now, Jim Watson is calling on the Ontario government to extend the restriction period for processing to send tickets by mail to drivers caught by cameras to between 45 and 60 days.

Under Ontario's Automated Speed Enforcement Camera regulations, tickets must be issued by prepaid regular mail or expedited mail within 23 days of the camera capturing the driver.

In a letter to Minister of Transportation Caroline Mulroney, Watson said the center processing automated speed enforcement tickets "is still struggling to process these violation notices" during the limitation period, largely due to workplace physical distancing requirements.

Watson said, "In 2021, 13 percent of speed violations in the City of Ottawa recorded through automated speed enforcement could not be processed within the limitation period, which resulted in a revenue loss of about $1.1 million for the city."

Adding, "There is $1.1 million less in our coffers to reinvest in road safety measures that help protect vulnerable road users."

Watson also said, "The municipality believes that extending the processing restriction period to between 45 and 60 days would be a reasonable change" and would also be fair to drivers and practical from an administrative perspective."

Meanwhile, the City of Ottawa says the eight radar-operated cameras issued 75,887 tickets in the first 11 months of 2021.

 December data is not yet available, and if 13 percent of drivers did not receive a ticket because it was not mailed within 23 days, this means that nearly 10,000 drivers were not penalized for speeding after being caught by radar cameras.