Speeding spiked in Toronto after province pulled speed cameras

A new report shows Toronto has seen a dramatic spike in speeding in the months since the Ontario government scrapped automated speed enforcement cameras.

The report, which Toronto city council is set to consider at its meeting this week, shows the percentage of drivers travelling at least 16 kilometres per hour over the posted limit on some streets surged over 400 per cent after the cameras were removed last November.

Vehicle speeds increased at 101 of 104 locations with comparable before-and-after data, and the proportion of vehicles travelling 11 km/h or more over the posted limit increased from two per cent to 8.1 per cent, the report shows.

The increase in speeding was “generally more prominent” on streets with a posted limit of 30 km/h, it says.

Toronto Mayor Olivia Chow called the data “horrifying” at a news conference Wednesday morning. “We’re talking about school zones, we’re talking about community zones, where seniors and kids go to school every day,” she said.

Toronto also recorded 25 fatal collisions in the six months after the cameras were removed, higher than the same period in the previous three years but on par with that period in 2021-22, the report shows.

It says, however, that multiple factors can play a role in traffic fatalities, so more time is needed to measure and understand the impact of removing speed cameras on fatal crashes.

Premier Doug Ford banned speed cameras across the province last fall, calling them a “cash grab” for municipalities.

More than 20 mayors across the province asked his government to tweak instead of scrap the speed camera program, but Ford denied the request, vowing to eliminate speeding through other measures.

Chow said the forced removal of the speed cameras was an “outrage.”

“We knew the speed camera works. Now that it’s taken out, we notice this dramatic increase of speed,” she said. Signage alone won’t deter reckless drivers, the mayor said, adding enforcement is needed to ensure compliance.

By Monique Kasonga