Toronto’s pace enforcement cameras are having a measurable impression on driver behaviour, in accordance with a brand new survey, which reveals a rising variety of motorists are hitting the brakes once they spot the gadgets.
The Canadian Car Affiliation (CAA) South Central Ontario surveycarried out from March 7 to March 19, polled 1,500 Ontario drivers and means that automated pace enforcement (ASE) cameras are altering driver habits—whilst ticket numbers proceed to rise.
The findings mirror what Toronto metropolis councillors are observing in their very own wards, that whereas extra cameras are being deployed and extra tickets are being mailed out, driver consciousness and warning are additionally on the rise.
“We discovered a big drop each within the common pace and within the quantity of people that have been rushing, and that’s the good distance of claiming, this digicam is saving lives,” stated Parkdale-Excessive Park councillor Gord Perks.
Regardless of the uptick in enforcement, officers and highway security advocates argue that the true success of this system isn’t measured solely within the variety of fines issued, however within the cultural shift towards slower, extra accountable driving.
“Seventy-three per cent of drivers stated they decelerate once they strategy the cameras,” stated Michael Stewart, Group Relations Marketing consultant at CAA South Central Ontario.”What’s reassuring from these survey outcomes is that we’re beginning to see that it’s nudging drivers in the proper route.”
Decelerate or pay up: Toronto drivers reply to hurry cameras
The CAA survey additionally concluded that many drivers are altering their routes to keep away from passing the city-wide pace cameras, and nonetheless, not everyone seems to be in favour of the technique. Some have voiced frustration with what they see as an extreme variety of pace cameras throughout town, arguing the initiative feels extra like a money seize than a security measure.
“It’s simply pissing folks off, I discover,” stated one driver CityNews interviewed on Thursday.
“It does assist me go slower,” added one other driver.
The CAA survey, which polled 1,500 drivers in Ontario, means that automated pace enforcement (ASE) cameras are influencing driver habits. Picture: CityNews.
The CAA information point out that almost 1 / 4 (23 per cent) of Ontario drivers have obtained a ticket from a digicam, in comparison with 17 per cent in 2024.
Toronto-Danforth councillor Paula Fletcher admitted that her husband was considered one of many who obtained a ticket courtesy of a pace digicam.
“You begin realizing, and also you’re pondering extra if you’re driving when you’ve had a kind of tickets,” Fletcher stated.
Ticket numbers rise, however so does warning behind the wheel
Humber River-Black Creek councillor Anthony Perruzza maintained that the purpose is deterrence—not income—and pointed to the rising shift in driver behaviour as an indication the system is working.
“When folks know that there’s a digicam and the pace has been modified, they comply with the principles, they decelerate, that’s what we would like them to do,” he stated. “I don’t need them to get a ticket, I would like them to decelerate.”
A few of Toronto’s most lively pace cameras have additionally grow to be prime targets for vandals. The infamous digicam in Parkdale, as an example, which has racked up $7 million in fines, has been repeatedly vandalized or broken—acts of defiance which have garnered public consideration.
Whereas these cameras usually rank among the many metropolis’s high ticket-issuers, catching these accountable for the vandalism stays uncommon.
“It’s unlucky that it’s gotten into this guerrilla warfare, however the place’s that undercover (police) officer that’s sitting there all evening, ready?” Fletcher questioned.
Perks was blunt when addressing the Parkdale pace digicam vandals.
“Please don’t do that; you’re killing folks.”
In response to the survey, not solely are extra drivers tapping the brakes once they spot a pace digicam—they’re additionally sustaining decrease speeds after passing them, signalling a long-lasting change in driving behaviour.
