City council adopts photo radar report; cameras to be installed by December

Toronto is one step closer to having photo-radar cameras installed on city streets.

City council adopted a report that will see automated speed enforcement (ASE) cameras installed around schools and community safety zones, the city said in a news release Thursday.

The report recommended that 50 mobile ASE cameras, or about two per ward, be installed and fully operational by December.

The cameras capture images of offending vehicles and their rear licence plates, as well as their speed.

The city tested the ASE cameras between September and December 2018 in eight different school zones.

They found almost 250,000 vehicles were detected going above the speed limit, with almost 90,000 going 10 km/h above the limit.

The highest speed detected was 202.3 km/h on Renforth Avenue.

Fines are expected to be in line with provincial legislation, the city said.

Other details, such as sign design and how the fine processing centre will function have yet to be worked out, the city added.

Once installed, the photo-radar camera units will provide an additional method for the city to enforce traffic laws. The city already has a fleet of 139 automated red-light cameras, which are installed at intersections to catch drivers who ignore red traffic lights.