Toronto is shuffling its 50 photo radar cameras around the city.
The city announced the new locations last week — two in each of Toronto’s 25 wards and focusing on Community Safety Zones near schools — and should be completed by June.
The program has issued more than 81,500 tickets against accused speeders so far this year.
This will the city’s third relocation of the devices, and all locations had signage notifying the public, according to the news release by the city.
In March alone for which the city has the most recent data, nearly 30,500 tickets were issued by the ASE devices, and 2,501 of those were repeat offenders,
This is an increase of around 2,000 tickets in comparison to January. February saw a brief decline in the number of tickets issued before rising again in March.
“Speeding continues to be one of the most dangerous traffic safety issues in our city,” Mayor John Tory said. “I urge every driver in Toronto to slow down and obey the posted speed limits not only because it’s the law but because doing so saves lives.
“Speed cameras are a proven traffic calming measure that we will continue to rotate across the city because we are committed to making our roads safe,” he said.
What began as a pilot project in January 2020, the ASE devices were implemented with the intention of deterring the public and raising awareness of the dangers of speeding, the city said.
While a speeding ticket won’t affect one’s driving record, or incur demerit points, drivers may find themselves paying hundreds of dollars in fines.
The rate of ticket issuance for the month of May might see a drastic increase because additional shifts have recently been implemented at Toronto’s Joint Municipal Processing Centre, the city said.
This will assist the city in faster and more efficient reviewing and processing of speeding tickets, according to the city’s news release.
But some Torontonians opposed photo radar, subjecting the devices to spray paint and vandalism since their implementation early last year.
“Speed cameras are an important component of our Vision Zero agenda. Rotating the cameras to different locations improves community safety for our children,” said Councillor Jennifer Mckelvie (Scarborough-Rouge Park), chair of the Infrastructure and Environment Committee.
Vision Zero is an ongoing action plan by the city that aims for zero traffic-related deaths in the city.
Drivers can learn more about the city’s traffic penalties and how fees are determined through the ASE devices here.