Starting July 6, Toronto will begin issuing tickets for speeding, using speed enforcement cameras. This is a positive step towards a safer city for Toronto's vulnerable road users. In 2019 alone, 43 pedestrians were killed on the streets of Toronto.
Mayor John Tory tweeted on June 26. 2020 "Starting July 6, the City's 50 Automated Speed Enforcement (ASE) cameras will start ticketing drivers who are caught traveling in excess of the posted speed limit. ASE is one of the many tools in our #VisionZero toolbox intended to reduce speeding in our city and save lives."1
The Ford government approved regulations to allow the operation of these speed cameras back in December 2019. Ticketing was set to begin in April but this was delayed, due to COVID-19.
Since then, warning letters have been issued to those picked up by the cameras. In February and March alone, the city reports 25, 000 warning letters were sent out 2.
The city has installed 50 cameras on local, collector, and arterial roads in Community Safety Zones near schools 3. The placement of these cameras was chosen based on data collected indicating speeding problems there in the past.
This news could not come at a more critical time. As the roads have been quitter amid the pandemic, this has brought speeding and stunt driving to rise.
How it Works
The cameras track the speed of approaching cars and take a photo of the vehicles that are exceeding the posted speed limit. A ticket is then mailed to the address associated with the car's license plate.
Tickets will be issued automatically to the owner of the vehicle, regardless of who is driving. Although demerit points will not be included with these tickets, drivers can face some serious fines. Total fines will consist of a set provincial fine, a victim surcharge, and court costs.
Drivers will be looking at the following set fines break down:
- Speeding 1-19 km/h will result in a fine of $5 per kilometre
- Speeding 20-29 km/h will result in a fine of $7.50 per kilometre
- Speeding 30-49 km/h will result in a fine of $12 per kilometre
- Speeding 50 km/h will mean an automatic court summons for the vehicle owner to appear before a Justice of the Peace and they will not be eligible for settlement outside of court4
Residents with program-specific comments or questions should call 311 or email 311@toronto.ca. More information can be found HERE.
Footnotes
1 https://twitter.com/JohnTory/status/1276548185968738306?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw%7Ctwcamp%5Etweetembed%7Ctwterm%5E1276548185968738306%7Ctwgr%5E&ref_url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.blogto.com%2Fcity%2F2020%2F06%2Ftoronto-speed-enforcement-cameras%2F
2 https://www.blogto.com/city/2020/06/toronto-speed-enforcement-cameras/
3 https://www.toronto.ca/services-payments/streets-parking-transportation/road-safety/vision-zero/safety-initiatives/automated-speed-enforcement/
4 https://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/toronto/toronto-photo-radar-tickets-1.5628529
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