They've tried warnings.
They've tried tickets.
Now the Ontario Provincial Police are trying a new tactic to prevent people from panhandling on the Queensway off-ramps.
They're appealing to motorists not to hand out spare change to panhandlers, who can often be found in Ottawa standing at the end of the eastbound offramps at Parkdale, Rochester, Bronson and St. Laurent.
New signs have been installed in these four locations reminding drivers panhandling is illegal.
"What we're asking from the motorist is to try to think more of the safety aspect than enforcement," said OPP Const. Rheal Levac. "This is not an enforcement campaign. It's an awareness and safety campaign and trying to make the road safer. There's no offence for donating on a motorist, but we're asking them to try not to support the panhandlers in creating that offence either."
Levac, who lobbied the province for the new signs, said it wasn't only an issue of promoting smoother traffic flow.
"The bigger problem is that (panhandlers) can get hit," he said. "The pedestrian can get hit, can either be injured or even killed and even if they don't get hit, it can be as simple as a car braking for the pedestrian and causing a rear end collision at that point. It's a risk to the pedestrians and the motorists as well."
Levac is encouraging motorists who want to help out people in need to do so through other means, like making a donation to any one of Ottawa's homeless shelters.
Deirdre Freiheit, the president and CEO of the Shepherds of Good Hope said even if the panhandlers you see aren't living in their shelter, they are still able to help them out.
"If people are having struggles with making ends meet at the end of the month, we can help them out with a bag of groceries. We can help them out with some clothing now that the weather is getting cooler, maybe footwear, those kinds of things," she said. "We also have services that are open to the community every day."
She pointed out they offer lunch and an evening drop in as well, where people can access services.
Ottawa is the first jurisdiction in Ontario to get the signs, which are part of a one-year pilot project. Cambridge will also be receiving signs.
Levac said they'll collect data over the next year to determine how much of an impact the signs make.