Parkside Drive speed camera issues record number of tickets in one month

Parkside Drive resident Faraz Gholizadeh stands next to the automated speed enforcement device on Parkside Drive, just south of Algonquin Avenue. For the last six months, the photo radar camera on Parkside Drive has issued the most tickets to speeding drivers in the city. (Supplied photo)

Toronto’s least favourite speed camera issued a whopping 3,502 tickets in the past month, according to organizers from traffic safety group Safe Parkside.

The group has long advocated for speeding hindrances on Parkside Drive, particularly following the deaths of Valdemar and Fatima Avila in 2021. But they say this speed camera, located just south of Algonquin Avenue, isn’t enough – drivers have learned how to avoid getting ticketed while continuing to speed well over the 40 km/h limit.

“Only the people who live near the camera have really seen a change,” Safe Parkside co-chair Faraz Gholizadeh said in an interview. “But for the rest of the street, safety is still an afterthought. Speed cameras aren’t going to make the change we need.”

Gholizadeh, along with the rest of Safe Parkside, feels the city ought to revamp the street with bike lanes, a measure that will help prioritize people over vehicles, particularly in such close proximity to High Park.

“Bike lanes slow the street down,” he said. “Speed cameras aren’t going to cut it. Signs aren’t going to cut it. The city needs to step in and re-do the street.”

To date, the City of Toronto has collected over $3 million in fines from the camera, with most drivers receiving a ticket of just over $100 for speeding in the area.

“It’s quite concerning that in such a short period of time, this camera has issued such massive numbers of tickets,” he continued. “It’s clear a lot more needs to be done.”