City releases automated speed enforcement data, same vehicle caught 27 times by 3 cameras

Toronto Mayor John Tory says the City’s automated speed enforcement cameras are working.

The City released its preliminary data after one year of implementing the ASE program, which aims to increase road safety, reduce speeding and raise public awareness about the need to slow down and obey posted speed limits.

The 50 ASE devices are near schools in community safety zones.

During a news conference in Scarborough, Tory said there was a reduction in speeding in locations where the cameras are found.

“[I am] happy because we are successfully cracking down on people who insist on speeding across the City, some in an extraordinary excessive manner,” he said. “But I am unhappy at the fact that there are still so many of them.”

Despite the positive – the percentage of speeding vehicles in 30 km/h speed limit zones dropped from 55 per cent to 44 per cent, as one example – the data also revealed some rather shocking incidents of speeding and careless driving.

The City says one vehicle, in particular, was caught 27 times by three cameras over the year. The ASE devices also issued just over 6,500 tickets in total, with the cameras on Scarborough Golf Club Road north of Lawrence Avenue East giving the most tickets at 2,328.

There were 277 repeat offenders.

In June, just over 26,500 total tickets were handed out with the device on Greenwood Avenue south of Glebeholme Boulevard issuing the most at 3,729, or 14 per cent of all tickets.

There were 2,445 repeat offenders. The City says additional enforcement data for July will be available in the coming weeks. Devices will start enforcement at the fourth round of locations in November.

Tory says officials have also started to issue severe fines and penalties for excessive speeding incidents, where a vehicle has exceeded the speed limit by 50 km/h or more.

To date, 103 of these charges have been laid since the start of enforcement on July 6. The highest excessive speed was 137 km/h in a 50 km/h speed limit zone on McCowan Road north of Kenhatch Boulevard.

The highest number of excessive speed-related charges was 22 on Ellesmere Road east of Mondeo Drive.

“One year after the implementation of Automated Speed Enforcement, we can see this program that we fought hard for is effective and efficient in its goal of reducing speeding and helping make our streets safer for all. It’s clear that when these cameras go up, drivers slow down,” Tory added.

“We are doing everything we can to improve road safety and keep our streets safe for everyone. Automated speed enforcement is just one of many programs we will continue to use along with the increased road safety enforcement efforts by Toronto Police.”