Item - 2021.IE24.16

The Infrastructure and Environment Committee:

1. Requested the General Manager, Transportation Services to report back to the October 26, 2021 meeting of the Infrastructure and Environment Committee with the cost of an immediate budget allocation to increase the number of automated speed enforcement cameras.

Automated Speed Enforcement is an automated system that uses a camera and a speed measurement device to detect and capture images of vehicles travelling in excess of the posted speed limit. It is designed to work in tandem with other methods and strategies, including engineering measures, education initiatives and traditional police enforcement. Automated Speed Enforcement is focused on altering driver behaviour to decrease speeding and increase safety.

The City of Toronto started installing these devices in 2018 through a pilot program to capture speed information, proceeded to an education campaign in early 2020 and started issuing tickets in mid-2021.

During the first year of enforcement, from July 6, 2020 to July 5, 2021, the City’s 50 Automated Speed Enforcement devices issued a total of 227,322 tickets to vehicles travelling in excess of the posted speed limit.

As time wore on, the percentage of speeding vehicles in 40 km/h speed limit zones dropped from 49 per cent in the period prior to the installation of the devices in 2019 to 28 per cent at the end of the ticketing period at the first round of locations in 2020. The percentage of speeding vehicles in 30 km/hour speed limit zones also dropped from 55 per cent to 44 per cent.

Similarly, 51 per cent of vehicle traffic was travelling in excess of the posted speed limit during the warning period in the first half of 2020 at the first round of locations compared to 36 per cent during the ticketing period from July to November 2020.

Early results also indicate that the average excess speed was reduced from 18 km/hour to 6 km/hour in 40 km/hour speed limit zones and from 12 km/hour to 9 km/hour in 30 km/hour speed limit zones.

This is showing that these interventions, while not perfect, are working.

There are currently 50 Automated Speed Enforcement systems installed on local, collector and arterial roads in Community Safety Zones near schools and there are two systems per ward to ensure an even distribution. 

City Council must work to expand this program, in tandem with other measures to increase road safety and correct as many dangerous areas as possible in our continued work toward Vision Zero.