Toronto’s Automated Speed Enforcement (ASE) cameras are certainly proving their worth, as the photo radar cameras issued more than 81,000 speeding tickets between January and March of 2021.
There are 50 ASE cameras located across the city, and according to the City of Toronto's data, 81,557 speeding fines were mailed to drivers who raced past one of the watchful devices in the first quarter of the year. A total of 6,646 of those drivers were repeat offenders.
Evidently, the speed camera located on Sheppard Avenue East west of Don Mills Road (in the Don Valley North ward) is the area where a lot of speeding motorists drive. That location’s camera accounted for 23% of all tickets issued in January, 20% of all tickets issued in February, and 17% of all tickets issued in March.
The cameras continue to rake in cash for the city at the expense of drivers who don’t obey the speed limit. These latest monthly numbers surpass the 22,000 tickets that were issued in the first month the speed cameras went into action in July 2020.
“Speeding continues to be one of the most dangerous traffic safety issues in our city. I urge every driver in Toronto to slow down and obey the posted speed limits not only because it’s the law but because doing so saves lives,” said Mayor John Tory in a press release. “Speed cameras are a proven traffic calming measure that we will continue to rotate across the city because we are committed to making our roads safer.”
The speeding tickets issued by the cameras are mailed to the registered owner of the vehicle that was pictured speeding. How expensive the fine is depends on how fast the car was going. There is also a $130 victim surcharge and related court costs tacked on to the fine.
Although the driver who was speeding will receive no demerit points and the photo radar ticket will not affect their driving record or car insurance premium, if you’re nabbed driving more than 50 km/h above the posted limit, you are required to appear before a Justice of the Peace to explain your actions.
Toronto will rotate the ASE camera locations for the third time in June. Warning signs are posted at all the new locations to give drivers a heads-up in advance. The new 50 locations are:
You can see where all current and future ASE camera locations are and will be citywide by viewing Toronto’s speed camera map.