‘Notify the people faster': Council to consider capping speed camera tickets before first notice arrives

CTV News

3 days ago

Toronto city council is considering a new rule that would prevent drivers from racking up multiple speed camera tickets at a single location before receiving their first warning in the mail.
The proposal comes amid concerns from Coun. Anthony Perruzza that the cameras are more of a 'speed trap' than a safety tool. If approved, it would cap how many infractions a vehicle owner can receive from a single location before being formally notified.
In a feasibility report released last week, city staff say the change could cost $32,000 to implement and would likely reduce revenue by an estimated $520,000 each time mobile cameras are relocated — though they stress the program was never meant to generate money.
'A faster notification period,' Chow says
The feasibility report also says that approximately 5,800 of the 94,243 tickets issued in the first month of ASE enforcement at 150 locations went to repeat offenders.
If council approves the change, the cameras would have to be reprogrammed to limit multiple fines against a single plate before a notice is delivered.
Speaking to reporters ahead of today's meeting, Mayor Olivia Chow says she supports speeding up the notification process in addition to her previous motion to install larger signage.
'What I want to see is a faster notification period,' she told reporters.
'If we could actually notify the people faster, then they would say… that's fair, right?'
It should be noted that Chow's separate motion to install more visible signs was approved last month by council.
It came following a proposal by Perruzza to pause all ticketing while city staff reviewed the program. That motion was defeated by council.
City vehicles racking up tickets of their own
While the debate over fairness continues, it's not just Toronto-area residents getting flagged by speed cameras.
In a statement to CTV News Toronto last week, the City of Toronto acknowledged that its own fleet of vehicles have racked up 190 ASE tickets so far this year, amounting to more than $18,000 in fines.
The city clarified that drivers — not taxpayers — are responsible for paying those tickets, and that the fines are not automatically waived.
Technology 'doing what it's meant to do'
Despite the criticism, multiple studies suggest ASE cameras are effective in changing driver behaviour.
A 2020-2022 study by researchers at SickKids and Toronto Metropolitan University found a 45 per cent drop in drivers exceeding the speed limit near ASE locations.
More recently in an email to CTV, the CAA also noted a positive trend in driver habits revealing that 73 per cent of Ontario drivers say they slow down when approaching a speed camera.
'When drivers choose to slow down or change their routes because of photo radar, it means the technology is doing what it's meant to,' said Michael Stewart of CAA South Central Ontario.
Speed camera at O'Connor Drive earns highest tickets this year
Some camera locations have become notorious for ticket volumes.
City data shows the most ticket-heavy camera in 2025 is on O'Connor Drive west of Lankin Blvd., where nearly 19,000 tickets have been issued so far.
Council is expected to debate the proposed cap and other possible adjustments to the ASE program over the next two days.