Toronto's Speeding Problem
Toronto Report Reveals Speeding Surged Dramatically After Automated Camera Removal
Anonymous
Key Points
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Speeding surged after ASE cameras were removed: across 101 of 104 locations with comparable data, the share of drivers traveling 16 km/h or more over the limit rose roughly 380–400%, with 0.6% previously exceeding by 16 km/h increasing to 2.9%.
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Fatalities: 25 fatal collisions occurred in the six months after camera removal, with two of those fatalities occurring within 100 metres of where speed cameras were once located.
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ASE program history and removal: Toronto’s automated speed enforcement program began in 2020 with 50 mobile cameras near schools, expanded to about 150 cameras (including 24 permanent installations) by early 2025, and ended on November 14, 2025.
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Category-specific speed increases: the 11–15 km/h over-the-limit category rose about 270%, and the 11 km/h+ over-the-limit rate increased from 2% to 8.1% in the six months after removal.
Speeding in Toronto has surged dramatically since Ontario shut down automated speed cameras in November 2025. A city report released June 22, 2026, found that the share of drivers going 16 km/h or more over the limit jumped from 0.6% to 2.9% — a nearly 400% increase — across 101 of 104 monitored locations, according to Global News.
Twenty-five fatal collisions occurred in the six months after the cameras went dark. Two of those deaths happened within 100 metres of a former camera site. Mayor Olivia Chow called the findings undeniable, saying the province "turned a blind eye to the safety of our children and seniors."
Speeding Nearly Quadrupled at Former Camera Sites
Before the cameras were removed, only 2% of drivers exceeded the speed limit by 11 km/h or more. After removal, that figure jumped to 8.1%, Yahoo News reported. The 11–15 km/h over-the-limit category rose by about 270%. The sharpest increases were in 30 km/h school and community zones, where average speeds climbed by nearly 12 km/h.
Barbara Gray, General Manager of Transportation Services and the lead researcher on the report, said the shift was stark. "The regression in driver behavior is the most sudden we have seen in a decade," she told CBC News. The city monitored 104 sites with comparable before-and-after data. Only three showed no measurable increase.
Toronto's Camera Program Grew — Then Got Cut by Queen's Park
Toronto launched its Automated Speed Enforcement (ASE) program in July 2020 with 50 mobile cameras near schools. By February 2025, the program had grown to 150 cameras, including 24 permanent installations. ASE was designed as a "force multiplier" because the number of traffic officers had declined over the previous decade, according to Head Topics.
Ontario ended the program on November 14, 2025, through legislation Premier Doug Ford called a response to a "cash grab." Ford argued low-income drivers were being hit with unfair fines. His government said it would replace cameras with increased police presence, better road engineering, and brighter signage, Head Topics reported.
Ford Says Cash Grab; Chow Says People Are Dying
Ford did not back down after the report dropped. "People are tired of being treated like ATMs by the city," he said. His transport minister, Prabmeet Sarkaria, called the city's report "a selective use of data" and said the province was focused on a "province-wide standard for road safety" that doesn't rely on automated ticketing.
Mayor Chow pushed back hard. "Twenty-five families are grieving today because politics was prioritized over protection," she said at a June 23 press conference. The city is also exploring a legal challenge, arguing the province is blocking Toronto from meeting its duty of care to residents, according to Global News.
Researchers Warn School Zones Are Now Far More Dangerous
Safety experts say the numbers carry a deadly meaning. At 30 km/h, a pedestrian hit by a car has roughly a 90% chance of surviving. At 50 km/h, that drops to about 15%. "The removal of these cameras has essentially shifted our school zones from 'safe' to 'lethal' in a matter of months," said Dr. Linda Rothman of Toronto Metropolitan University.
The city is now fast-tracking "smart traffic signals" that hold red lights for speeding vehicles — a workaround that avoids issuing tickets. Insurance analysts predict Toronto auto premiums could rise 5–10% by 2027 as crash rates climb. Advocacy group Friends and Families for Safe Streets has launched a "Bring Back the Cameras" campaign, calling the 25 deaths a "preventable catastrophe," according to Yahoo News.
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