Parkside Dr. speed camera vandalized for second time in a month

For the second time in a month, a speed camera aimed at catching speeding drivers along a dangerous stretch of Parkside Drive has been vandalized.

According to the neighbourhood group Safe Parkside, the camera which is located south of Algonquin Avenue was cut down less than 25 hours after it had been reinstalled by city staff.

Last week the camera was found on the ground after it had been cut from its base.

According to data from the City of Toronto, the speed camera is the highest grossing, issuing over 63,000 speeding tickets to date and generating an estimated $6.8 million in fines.

The Parkside Drive speed camera was installed following the death of two seniors who were killed in a multiple-vehicle crash at the intersection of Parkside Drive and Spring Road on Oct. 12 of 2021.

Since 2021, the city has implemented several measures to improve safety along Parkside Drive including reducing the speed limit from 50 to 40 kilometres per hour, and adding speed cameras and signs telling motorists to reduce speed.

“Ultimately it doesn’t matter if it’s upright or it’s on the ground it’s not doing what it’s supposed to do which is make the street safe and it’s up to the city to actually implement the changes that will make the street safe,” Fazaz Gholizadeh of the community action group Safe Parkside tells CityNews.

“We’re calling for action, they’ve talked about it enough, they’ve studied Parkside for three years – you don’t need to study Parkside for three years, you just need one day to realize it’s extremely dangerous and that it needs addressing and that no one should die trying to go to a park.”

“It’s frustrating. I noticed it this morning and I was a little distraught about it,” said one area resident. “There’s a lot of speeding on this street and it’s a really busy road and it’s really dangerous and when people do stuff like that I just don’t get it.”

Last month, Toronto City Council voted to move ahead with the road safety project that includes intersection safety improvements, reducing speeds and a bikeway between Bloor Street West and Lake Shore Boulevard West.

In a statement to CityNews, a spokesperson for the city condemns the vandalism and says in part, “Parkside Drive was identified as a new route in the council approved 2025-2027 cycling network plan. Transportation Services proposed a quick-build transformation of Parkside Drive that features two-way cycle tracks on the west side of Parkside Drive adjacent to High Park, curb lane parking on the east side and potential reduction in parking capacity, raised bus/bike platforms at the west side TTC bus stops, designated left-turn lanes, and no changes to sidewalks.”

According to the city in the last 10 years, there have been almost 1,500 collisions on the two-kilometre stretch of roadway resulting in five serious injuries and three fatalities.