Parkside Dr. speed camera cut down for fourth time in five months
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A speed camera along Parkside Dr. that has generated an estimated $7 million for the city was cut down for the fourth time in five months.
Safe Parkside Co-Chair Faraz Gholizadeh said the latest vandalism leaves this stretch of road, with residential homes on the east side and High Park on the west side, with little in the form of safety.
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“Parkside residents continue to sound the alarm and the City of Toronto continues to fail in addressing the dangerous conditions that persist on Parkside Drive,” Gholizadeh said in a news release.
It also happens to be the city’s most vandalized speed enforcement device. In December, the camera was cut down, dragged through High Park and dumped into a pond.
Toronto Police said officers were dispatched Saturday around noon to investigate the latest act of vandalism involving the speed camera.
There is no suspect information at this time, cops added.
According to police, depending on the severity of the vandalism, if someone is arrested they can face a charge of mischief of either over or under $5,000.
The camera is part of safety measures the city has made along Parkside Dr. after a speeding motorist killed an elderly couple in a horrific five-car crash in October 2021. The city also designated the area a Community Safety Zone and reduced the speed limit from 50 to 40 km/h.
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But Gholizadeh said the cameras have provided little in the form of safety for area residents and visitors to the park.
“A speed camera that has recently spent more time on its side or in a pond than it has upright and functioning has clearly fallen well short of its intended purpose,” he said.
To date, the camera has led to more than 66,000 speeding tickets issued by the city. In addition, the highest recorded speed caught by the camera is 154 km/h – nearly four times the posted limit.
“The City of Toronto condemns any incident of theft or vandalism of Automated Speed Enforcement (ASE) devices,” a spokesperson said in an emailed statement. “Tampering with, damaging or stealing one of these devices allows dangerous speeding to continue and undermines the safety of all road users, particularly those more vulnerable such as pedestrians, cyclists, children and the elderly.”
The city said the cameras, which are provided by the vendor and are not municipal property, are effective in significantly reducing the number of people speeding and in reducing overall vehicle speeds.
However, Safe Parkside said the road continues to experience very high numbers of speeding, reckless, and careless driving.
“Parkside and other concerned neighbourhood residents are left to continue their decade-long call for safety on Parkside Dr.,” Gholizadeh said.
Police ask anyone with information about how this latest vandalism occurred to contact 11 Division at 416-808-1100.
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