Early-morning street racing on Toronto’s DVP a nuisance for nearby residents

Street racing in Toronto continues to be a problem as many city residents have voiced their complaints online, with endless noise and loud cars waking people up overnight or early in the morning.

Street racers become more prevalent in the city and across the GTA in the summer months. It’s led to a promise from local police forces, who have said officers would patrol streets to crack down on illegal racing.

But that appears not to be the case on one busy Toronto highway.

Many residents living in the East York area within earshot of the Don Valley Parkway have started to share their stories online.

“This is pretty much a nightly occurrence throughout the spring and summer every year,” one social media user wrote. “I have no idea why [Toronto] police can’t park a couple of cruisers on the DVP every so often to at least deter these guys if not ticket them.”

One woman named Tammy says she’s lived in the Topham Park area for four years now after moving to Toronto from Hamilton.

She tells CityNews she’s been awoken at least seven times since the start of spring and says loud noise from street racers is so bad that it’s starting to affect her daily routines.

“I am a light sleeper at the best of times. When I hear street racing almost every night between the hours of midnight and 4 a.m., it becomes ridiculous,” Tammy tells CityNews.

“I work in the downtown core and have to be up early almost every weekday to start at 8 a.m. I’ve noticed a difference in my energy level and overall mood. It’s incredibly irritating.”

Sports cars street racing in an undated photo. Courtesy: Unsplash.

In late May, York Regional Police, joined by police services across Ontario, launched Project Erase — an initiative that sees helicopters patrolling the GTA to crack down on dangerous driving behaviours.

“It’s that time of the year where modified vehicles begin to roll out on the roads, and some drivers seem to think that they can use our streets as their personal racetrack,” York Regional Police said at the time.

Investigators say street racing often leads to many collisions, with drivers putting themselves at high risk.

One woman who lives near Greenwood Station in East York says street racers kept her up for hours one night, despite her windows being closed.

“Apparently, patrolling the DVP for racing motorcycles is not part of TPS’s job,” she wrote online.

Tammy tells CityNews she’s considered speaking to Toronto police regarding the issue but worries nothing will be done.

“I don’t think they’ll take me seriously,” she says. “It’s a problem almost every summer. I understand living near a busy highway comes with that territory, but lately, it’s been so constant and doesn’t cease. The cars these people use are so loud and obnoxious.”

Tammy says her neighbours have also complained about the noise but aren’t sure what to do.

Toronto police are asking anyone who spots a dangerous driver to call 911, and if safe to do so, make a note of the vehicle’s make, model and licence plate, the location and direction of travel, and a description of the driver.

Tammy says that’s a little hard to do when you’re being forced up from bed at 3 a.m.

“I’d happily report these drivers to the police,” she says. “But what am I supposed to do from my bed in the middle of the night? Call the cops? It just doesn’t make sense to me. I wish something could be done.”