Toronto doubles the number of speed cameras on its streets amid concerns about vandalism, which has seen some devices spray-painted and pulled down.
Laura McQuillan, senior communications advisor for the City of Toronto, said the city is installing 75 additional automated speed enforcement (ASE) devices this year, bringing the total to 150 cameras on city streets. Installation work will begin in the first quarter of this year, staff said in a November 2024 report to the Infrastructure and Environment Committee.
The new measures come as some ASE devices – which first hit Toronto streets in 2018 – continue to be vandalized; over the years, some have been covered in spray paint, while others have been torn down.
Last month, the pole-mounted ASE camera on Parkside Drive in the city’s west was shot and thrown into the duck pond. This is the third camera to be vandalized on Algonquin Avenue and Parkside Drive. the last two incidents took place in November. Safe Parkside, a neighborhood advocacy group, said Thursday that a new camera had been installed.
“The city condemns all acts of theft and vandalism,” McQuillan said.
“Tampering, damaging or theft of an ASE device has a negative impact on road safety and allows dangerous speeding to continue close to vulnerable road users. »
Mischief charges await vandals, police say
Last year, 12 ASE cameras were vandalized beyond repair and had to be replaced, McQuillan said. The city does not own any of the ASE cameras because they are a vendor-provided service, and it is the vendor’s responsibility to replace or repair the devices within 30 days, McQuillan added.
A vandalized Automated Speed Enforcement (ASE) camera sits inside a duck pond near Parkside Drive in west Toronto. Safe Parkside, a neighborhood advocacy group, says a new ASE camera has been installed on Parkside Drive.
Park/photo side
The seller is also responsible for reporting serious incidents of vandalism to the Toronto Police. Const. Laurie McCann, Toronto police media relations manager, said police received seven reports in 2024 of damaged ASE cameras in various neighborhoods across the city.
McCann said two of those reports involved the Parkside camera and another involved an ASE camera along Avenue Road, adding that the charges would either be for mischief under $5,000 or mischief over $5 $000, depending on the damage.
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Under the city’s contract with the ASE vendor, there is no cost to the city and no additional taxpayer money is spent every time an ASE device is damaged, McQuillan said.
ASEs were introduced in 2018 to increase road safety by detecting and capturing images of vehicles traveling above the posted speed limit. The footage is reviewed by provincial offenses officers and then tickets are issued to the vehicle owner, regardless of the driver. In the event of conviction, the only sanction is a fine.
“ASE devices have proven effective in reducing speeds in areas where cameras are deployed. The ASE on Parkside Drive is one of the busiest in the city,” McQuillan said.
“There have been seven fatality or serious injury collisions on Parkside Drive in the past 10 years and a further 1,480 collisions resulting in ‘property damage only’, which includes vehicle damage up to write-off, as well as as damage to residential properties. and public property (e.g. electricity poles).
Currently, there are 75 ASE cameras distributed equally among the city’s 25 neighborhoods.
ESAs are mobile and rotate every three to six months in designated community safety zones in each neighborhood. “Coming Soon” warning signs must be posted 90 days before ticketing begins at any new ASE location.
With another 75 cameras coming this year, there will be 150 ASE cameras on city streets; Up to 25 of them will be installed as permanent pole-mounted systems to combat vandalism and reduce resources needed to change locations, McQuillan said.
McQuillan added that staff will use a “data-driven approach” to decide where the new cameras will be installed.
“The 75 new ASE cameras will be installed throughout the city using a data-driven approach that takes into account vehicle speed and collision history throughout the city rather than distributing them evenly among neighborhoods,” he said. McQuillan said.
“This will provide the opportunity to target locations in the city where vehicle speeds are most problematic and will provide the greatest safety benefit.”
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