'Disappointing': Toronto speed camera cut down less than 24 hours after being reinstalled

A damaged Parkside Drive speed camera is pictured in Toronto on Saturday, Nov. 30, 2024. (CP24)

A Toronto speed camera notorious for issuing tens of thousands of tickets to drivers has been cut down again less than 24 hours after it was reinstalled.

On Saturday morning, the camera on Parkside Drive was discovered lying on the ground. It is the second time this month that the equipment was vandalized.

“It was disappointing because this speed camera is here to slow people down,” Safe Parkside co-chair Faraz Gholizadeh told CP24 on Saturday morning.

“It’s there for safety. And for someone to come and cut it down the way they did, it just seems to be a lack of concern for what’s happening on Toronto streets and what’s happening on Parkside.”

The speed camera located near Parkside Drive and Algonquin Avenue was installed after an elderly couple was killed in a collision involving a speeding driver in 2021.

According to Safe Parkside, the speed camera has issued over 60,000 tickets with an estimated value of over $6.8 million.

In a statement on Saturday, the city condemned all acts of theft and vandalism.

“Tampering with, damaging or stealing an Automated Speed Enforcement (ASE) device negatively impacts road safety and allows dangerous speeding to continue near vulnerable road users,” city spokesperson Shane Gerard said.

The city notes that the camera is owned by a vendor who is now assessing the damage and developing a plan to repair it.

For Safe Parkside, the speed camera is not enough and more needs to be done to ensure road safety in the area.

“Any measure that can be so easily thwarted that it could be cut down is not a true safety measure,” Gholizadeh said.

“What we’re looking for is real safety on the street. That’s what we’ve been asking for the past decade. And that’s what we’re still asking for today.”

Gholizadeh wants the city to transform Parkside Drive into a complete street, which the city defines as a street designed to be safe for pedestrians, cyclists and drivers and also consider other uses like sidewalk cafes, street furniture, street trees, utilities and storm management.

“(The camera has) made a lot of money, sent out a lot of tickets, but provided very little in the form of safety. So, the city really needs to start acting. It’s past time that they did something about Parkside,” he said.

Earlier this month, city council approved “in principle” a road safety project on Parkside Drive, which includes bike lanes and design changes to decrease motor vehicle speeds.

Mayor Olivia Chow also weighed in on the incident, saying in a statement: “Acts of vandalism that jeopardize the safety of Torontonians are entirely inappropriate, particularly on a dangerous section of road like Parkside Dr.”

“That’s why Councillor Perks has worked closely with the community to spearhead safety improvements on Parkside Dr, which we passed at our most recent council meeting.”