Three and counting: Parkside Drive speed camera vandalized yet again

One of Toronto’s most notorious speed cameras, located at Parkside Drive near High Park, has been cut down for a third time.

According to the neighbourhood group Safe Parkside, the speed camera — Toronto’s highest-grossing speed camera with 65,392 speeding tickets and nearly $7 million in fines to date — was vandalized, removed from the side of the road and disposed of in a pond in High Park.

It’s the third reported instance of the Parkside Drive speed camera being cut down, with both other incidents occurring in November.

“Parkside residents continue their call for safety, and the City of Toronto continues to fail to address the dangerous conditions on Parkside Drive,” said Faraz Gholizadeh, a spokesperson and co-chair of Safe Parkside. “A speed camera that has recently spent more time on its side or in a pond than it has upright and functioning has fallen well short of addressing the dangerous conditions that persist on Parkside Drive.”

Safe Parkside says the most recent act of vandalism comes after it caught a motorist travelling 154 km/h, nearly four times the posted speed limit of 40 km/h.

A city spokesperson condemned the speed camera’s destruction and said officials are exploring “other solutions” that include pole-mounted options and remote monitoring that “may help alleviate some of the vandalism issues.”

“Tampering with, damaging or stealing an Automated Speed Enforcement (ASE) device negatively impacts road safety and allows dangerous speeding to continue near vulnerable road users,” the statement read. “The city does not own any of the ASE devices as they are a vendor-provided service; it is the vendor’s responsibility to replace or fix the devices within a maximum of 30 days and report serious incidents of vandalism to Toronto Police Services.”

Parkside Drive’s design needs improvement, city says

The Parkside Drive speed camera was installed after two seniors were killed in a multi-vehicle crash at the intersection of Parkside Drive and Spring Road on Oct. 12, 2021. Since then, 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.

“Since its installation, the Parkside Drive speed camera has generated millions in revenue for the City of Toronto while providing little in the form of safety for Parkside residents and visitors,” added Gholizadeh. “Parkside residents continue to sound the alarm on the dangerous conditions that persist on Parkside Drive, and the City of Toronto continues to fail in addressing the dangers.”

City council endorsed the Parkside Drive Study last month, which examined safety and mobility along the corridor. It was conducted after seven collisions that resulted in five serious injuries and three fatalities between Aug. 2014 and Aug. 2024.

Over the last few years, the city has made numerous safety and road design improvements on Parkside Drive, but a spokesperson said it still lacks specific safety guidelines and standards.

“Proposed changes outlined in the Nov. 13, 2024, report to City Council support the Vision Zero Road Safety Plan and the High Park Movement Strategy. They will also all fit within the existing space, balancing the needs of both vulnerable road users and drivers.”

With files from John Marchesan of CityNews