Speeding Surges 200% on Parkside Since Camera Ban
Data from Safe Parkside shows dramatic increase in dangerous driving after Ontario removed speed cameras last year.
Speeding on Toronto's Parkside Drive has jumped by over 200 percent since the Ford government removed speed cameras across the province last year, according to new data released by community organization Safe Parkside.
The numbers are stark: where drivers used to face automated enforcement, they're now flooring it. The data was compiled specifically to measure whether the camera removal had an impact, and the answer is unambiguous.
Parkside Drive runs along High Park and is heavily used by commuters, cyclists, and families. Higher speeds in that environment mean higher injury and fatality risk, especially for pedestrians and cyclists who can't absorb the impact of a vehicle traveling at 80 kilometers per hour the same way they can at 40.
The Ford government removed speed cameras as part of a broader deregulation push, arguing they were revenue grabs masquerading as safety tools. Communities that saw enforcement in their neighborhoods disagreed, and the data here suggests they had a point. Without enforcement—automated or otherwise—driver behavior reverts to what's comfortable, not what's safe.
Safe Parkside is now calling for new interventions: physical traffic calming measures, increased police enforcement, or reinstatement of cameras. City council will likely face pressure to act, but solutions cost money and require political will. In the meantime, Parkside Drive has become a case study in what happens when safety infrastructure disappears.