Speed camera severely vandalized in Mississauga, one of 60 reports this year
Published May 3, 2024 at 8:28 am
A speed camera was found badly vandalized outside a Mississauga school this week.
Officially known as automated speed enforcement devices, the metal boxes contain a camera and speed measurement equipment to help enforce the speed limit.
They are placed in Community Safety Zones (near schools) and other speeding hot spots. An image of an offender’s licence plate is recorded by the camera and the registered owner of the vehicle is sent a ticket by mail.
The cameras have been vandalized many times in the past.
The speed camera on Darcel Avenue, outside Darcel Avenue Senior Public School in Malton was found broken this week. A post on Reddit shows the box opened and the inside damaged. Someone spray-painted several penises on the exterior.
While the Reddit poster says the box has been like this for weeks, the City of Mississauga said the biggest damage was done this week.
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The “severe vandalism” happened in the evening of May 1 and the camera’s vendor assessed the damage the next day, a City of Mississauga spokesperson told insauga.com.
The speed camera was removed temporarily but will be returned once it has been repaired, the spokesperson said.
The graffiti on this particular unit has been removed multiple times by the vendor, typically within 24 hours of it being reported.
The City of Mississauga has received 60 reports of vandalism to the cameras so far this year, the spokesperson said.
“Reports of vandalism have become more frequent since the program expanded from 2 to 22 cameras, and cameras continue to rotate to new locations on a regular basis,” the spokesperson said.
All maintenance and repairs are the responsibility of the vendor and there is no additional cost to the city.
Vandalism is common on many city services and it is not unusual for speed cameras to become the target of graffiti or other types of vandalism, the spokesperson added.
Last year, there were regular reports of cameras knocked over and painted.
Residents are encouraged to call 311 to report incidents of vandalism so they can be addressed as quickly as possible.
While they are regular targets for vandals, the cameras have positively impacted school zones throughout the city, reducing speeds by more than 9 km/h while increasing driver compliance with the speed limit by an average of 30 per cent, the city spokesperson said.
“The data shows that drivers are slowing down and following the speed limit,” the spokesperson added.
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