The City of Toronto is in the process of doubling the amount of speed cameras on city streets, from 75 to 150 cameras.
Transportation Services Manager Barbara Gray confirmed to 680 NewsRadio that installation is currently ongoing for the new cameras which include 25 in permanent pole-mounted locations and the other 50 rotating every three to six months in the wards they are installed.
They will be installed based on where the city believes they will be most effective at getting drivers to slow down and all of them are in community safety zones.
Signs have already been put up warning drivers there will be speed cameras in those places soon as the City is required to give 90 day’s notice.
“We look at the data where we have the most challenges with speeding and other factors, collision history,” said Gray. “What automated speed enforcement cameras do, is they give us the ability to enforce those appropriate speeds. And they’re put in places where speeding is traditionally an issue and where we have perhaps a higher rate of collisions historically.”
A full list of where the speed cameras will be installed can be found on the city’s website.
Gray tells 680 NewsRadio the cameras have had a measureable effect in getting people to stop speeding.
“Speeding is really a significant contributor … if you get hit at a higher speed, you have a much higher risk of a serious injury or a fatality.”
Gray also confirmed they are in talks with the TTC to add automatic enforcement cameras to streetcars to catch vehicles that drive through when the streetcar doors are open after provincial legislation was passed last fall.
There are also ongoing conversations about other places where automatic enforcement can be utilized.
“We will still be in conversations with the province about expanding those programs even further to other locations, like dedicated transit lanes, or to use as a tool for people who might be blocking an intersection. But there’s still a bit of work to do on that, so we’re continuing to work on that.”