Toronto collects $34M in fines from speed camera tickets in past two years

Toronto has collected more than $30 million in fines from speed camera tickets since the city rolled out the devices two years ago.

From July 2020 to October 31, 2022, the city says 560,000 Automated Speed Enforcement (ASE) charges have been filed, and during that same time period $34 million in fines has been collected.

“The revenue collected (set fines plus costs and fees) offsets the program cost while the Victim Surcharge is remitted to the Province. The $34 million does not include the victim fine surcharge,” the city said in a statement to CP24.

Toronto launched the ASE program in July 2020 in an effort to reduce speeding, particularly in what are called community safety zones near schools. The devices capture and record images of speeding vehicles.

Warning signs are posted in these community safety zones to alert drivers about an ASE device installed there.

If a vehicle is caught speeding by the ASE camera, the registered owner of the vehicle will receive a ticket regardless of who was driving.

The total fine includes a set fine under the Provincials Offences Act, a victim fine surcharge and applicable court costs.

No demerit points will be issued and no one’s driving record will be impacted.

Currently, there are 50 cameras installed throughout the city with two devices per ward. However, the city relocates them every three to six months to address a greater number of areas with safety concerns.

Locations are selected through a data-driven approach that considers speed and collision data, the city says.

In Feb. 2023, the city will be adding 25 more cameras to the streets, which will provide one extra camera per ward.

The city says each ASE device costs about $50,000 annually to operate and maintain, however that amount does not include operating costs from Transportation Services, Court Services and Legal Services.

According to the city’s latest ASE data, there were at least 1,118 repeat offenders caught by the speed cameras in September, compared to 1,400 repeat offenders in August.

In both August and September, the most speeding tickets were issued on Parkside Drive south of Algonquin Avenue, accounting for roughly nine and 10 per cent of all ASE tickets issued in those months respectively.

A map of where ASE devices are located across the city can be found here.