City data shows this Toronto street has a speeding problem
One of the city’s speed cameras in the west end continues to reign supreme for the most tickets issued to fast drivers.
According to the latest data, roughly 10 per cent of the 23,163 tickets issued in September by the city’s Automated Speed Enforcement (ASE) program stemmed from speeding on Parkside Drive south of Algonquin Avenue.
- Download our app to get local alerts on your device
- Get the latest local updates right to your inbox
In August, approximately nine per cent of the 25,224 tickets issued were also linked to speed violations in that area.
Speeding on the strip east of High Park has shown to be a problem and the ASE camera at that location has issued the most tickets of any city machine for five consecutive months.
The city released the data on Wednesday while announcing the location of 25 new speed cameras which are set to be operational by Feb. 2023.
Those are in addition to the 50 cameras already up and running, 49 of which are currently rotating to their sixth round of locations to help reduce speeding in more areas with safety concerns.
The only camera that is not moving locations is the one at Parkside Drive in an effort to “improve compliance with the speed limit and reduce incidents of speeding” in that area, the city said.
Parkside Drive’s apparent issue with speeding was highlighted in the summer when police were dispatched to High Park to ticket cyclists who were travelling too fast in the 399-acre green space.
A cyclist can be seen receiving a ticket from TPS above. August 10th, 2022. (Craig Wadman/CTV News Toronto)
At that time, cyclists and advocates alike cried foul and pointed to Parkside Drive as the real problem, to which Toronto police argued they had the capacity to monitor both areas effectively.
The street was also the scene of a multi-vehicle collision on Oct. 12 which left two people dead and three others injured.
In that case, police said a BMW was driving “at a high rate of speed” when it struck a vehicle that was barely moving due to traffic.
REPEAT OFFENDERS TOP 1,100 IN SEPTEMBER
During the month of September, the city said, there were at least 1,118 “repeat offenders” caught by various speed cameras across the city.
The top three offenders received a number of tickets each that month.
The first was issued six tickets for speeding on Park Lane Circle in North York, the second was issued six tickets for speeding on Mill Road in Etobicoke, and the third was issued four tickets for speeding on Denison Avenue and two tickets for speeding on Manning Avenue in downtown and midtown Toronto, respectively.
For context, in August there were 1,400 repeat offenders and the "most frequent repeat offender" received 12 tickets for speeding on Brant Street south of Adelaide Street West.
Mayor John Tory said that despite the number of tickets the speed cameras issue on a monthly basis, the devices “work” and are “changing driver behavior.”
“We want everyone to be safe on our roads and this is why we’re scaling up the City’s Automated Speed Enforcement program by adding 25 more cameras to the 50 that are already operating across the city. This is another important step forward that will help save lives, boost road safety and reduce speeding where it matters the most,” he said in a statement.
To see a map of the speed cameras currently in operation and locations of future camera sites, click here.
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
BREAKING King Charles' cancer treatment progressing well, says Buckingham Palace
King Charles III’s doctors are 'sufficiently pleased' with his cancer treatment and he is expected to return to public-facing duties, Buckingham Palace announced on Friday.
BREAKING Orca calf that was trapped in B.C. lagoon for weeks swims free
An orca whale calf that has been stranded in a B.C. lagoon for weeks after her pregnant mother died swam out on her own early Friday morning.
'Unacceptable': Trudeau reacts after AFN chief says headdress taken from plane cabin
After the Assembly of First Nations' national chief said her headdress was taken from an airplane cabin this week, Prime Minister Justin Trudeau called the incident 'unacceptable' and a 'mistake' on the part of Air Canada.
DEVELOPING Bird flu outbreaks: WHO weighs in on public health risk
The current overall public health risk posed by the H5N1 bird flu virus is low, the World Health Organization said on Friday, but urged countries to stay alert for cases of animal-to-human transmission.
Sophie Gregoire Trudeau on navigating post-political life, co-parenting and freedom
Sophie Gregoire Trudeau says there is 'still so much love' between her and Prime Minister Justin Trudeau, as they navigate their post-separation relationship co-parenting their three children.
Regina police officer injured after being accidentally shot by fellow officer's gun
An investigation is underway after a Regina police officer was accidentally shot by a fellow officer’s gun during the search of a house early Friday morning.
From faulty kids' cribs to flammable kids' bathrobes, here are the recalls of the week
Health Canada issued recalls for various items this week, including kids’ bathrobes, cribs and henna cones.
Taylor Swift dons Montreal designer's dress in 'Fortnight' video
A pair of Montreal designers' work has now been viewed over 41 million times. Taylor Swift dons a Victorian throwback black gown in her latest music video, 'Fortnight', designed by UNTTLD due Simon Belanger and Jose Manuel Saint-Jacques.
Island near Mull of Kintyre for sale for US$3.1 million
An idyllic 453-acre private island is up for sale off the west coast of Scotland and it comes with sandy beaches, puffins galore, seven houses, a pub, a helipad and a flock of black-faced sheep.