Toronto is doubling the number of speed cameras on its streets amid concerns over vandalism, which has seen some devices spray-painted and chopped down.
Laura McQuillan, a senior communications advisor with the City of Toronto, said the city is installing 75 more automated speed enforcement (ASE) devices this year, bringing the total to 150 cameras on city streets. The work to install those 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’s streets in 2018 – continue to be vandalized; over the years, some have been covered in spray paint, while others have been cut down.
Just last month, the pole-mounted ASE camera on Parkside Drive in the city’s west end was chopped down and tossed into the duck pond. It’s the third camera to be vandalized at Algonquin Avenue and Parkside Drive; the last two incidents were in November.
“The city condemns all acts of theft and vandalism,” McQuillan said.
“Tampering with, damaging or stealing an ASE device negatively impacts road safety and allows dangerous speeding to continue near vulnerable road users.”
Last year, 12 ASE cameras were vandalized beyond repair and needed to be replaced, McQuillan said. The city doesn’t own any of the ASE cameras as they are a vendor-provided service, and it is the vendor’s responsibility to replace or fix the devices within 30 days, McQuillan added.
The vendor is also responsible for reporting serious incidents of vandalism to Toronto police. Const. Laurie McCann, a media relations officer with Toronto police, said the force received seven reports in 2024 of damaged ASE cameras in various areas of the city.
McCann said two of those reports were for the Parkside camera and one was for an ASE camera along Avenue Road, adding that charges would be either mischief under $5,000 or mischief over $5,000, depending on the damage.
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As part of the city’s contract with the ASE vendor, there is no cost to the city and no additional taxpayer dollars are spent each time an ASE device is damaged, McQuillan said.
ASEs were introduced in 2018 to increase road safety by detecting and capturing images of vehicles travelling above the posted speed limit. The images are reviewed by provincial offence officers, and then tickets are issued to the owner of the vehicle regardless of who was driving. Upon conviction, the only penalty is a fine.
“ASE devices have been proven to be effective at reducing speeds in areas where the cameras are deployed. The ASE device on Parkside Drive is one of the busiest in the city,” McQuillan said.
“There have been seven killed or seriously injured collisions on Parkside Drive in the last 10 years and an additional 1,480 collisions resulting in ‘property damage only’ which includes damage to vehicles up to and including write-offs, as well as damage to residential property and public assets (e.g. utility poles).”
Currently, there are 75 ASE cameras distributed equally among the city’s 25 wards.
ASEs are mobile and rotate every three to six months within designated community safety zones in each ward. “Coming soon” warning signs have to be posted 90 days before ticketing begins at any new ASE location.
With 75 more coming this year, there will be 150 ASE cameras on city streets; up to 25 of those will be installed as permanent pole-mounted systems to address vandalism and reduce resources required to change locations, McQuillan said.
McQuillan added that staff will use a “data-driven approach” when deciding where the new cameras will be installed.
“The 75 new ASE cameras will be installed across the city using a data-driven approach that considers vehicle speed and collision history city-wide rather than evenly distributed between wards,” McQuillan said.
“This will provide an opportunity to target locations in the city with the most problematic vehicle speeds and provide the greatest safety benefit.”
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