Speeding has tripled on Toronto roads where speed cameras stood one year ago

One year after Ontario's provincial government banned municipal speed cameras, the number of drivers going 20 km/h or more over the limit near former camera sites in Toronto has risen from about 11,800 vehicles a month to about 37,600 a month, a Toronto Star analysis of City data published November 14 shows.

That is a rise of 223 per cent. Toronto's total traffic fatalities in 2026 have already passed the full 2025 total.

What the City's data shows

The Toronto Star analyzed data from 82 "Watch Your Speed" radar signs placed within 150 metres of where the 145 speed cameras had been operating when Ontario ended the program on November 15, 2025.

Of the 62 locations with enough data to compare, speeding rose at 57 sites. Readings of 100 km/h or faster on the same stretches more than doubled, rising from 887 a month to 1,932 a month. Three-quarters of that increase came from three streets with 50 km/h limits: Pharmacy Avenue, Jane Street and Midland Avenue, the Star reported.

The Watch Your Speed signs are portable radar signs the City rotates through residential wards. They show drivers their speed on an LED screen. They do not issue tickets. The City's Watch Your Speed program page at toronto.ca has details on how the program works and how to request a sign for your street.

Parkside Drive stands out

Parkside Drive in the west end shows some of the steepest numbers in the Star's analysis. When a camera was issuing tickets there, about 750 vehicles a month were recorded going 60 km/h or faster past the Watch Your Speed sign at that location. In the same six months a year later, after the camera was removed, the sign recorded about 3,130 a month. By October 2026, that number had reached 4,305 vehicles, and nearly one in three cars was going at least 10 km/h over the 50 km/h limit, the Star reported.

The speed camera on Parkside Drive had been cut down by vandals seven times before it was removed, and had issued more than 70,000 tickets and collected more than $7.5 million in fines over its life, according to the Star.

What research showed about cameras and safety

A study by the Hospital for SickKids and Toronto Metropolitan University, released in July 2025, found that speeding dropped by 45 per cent across 250 school zones while cameras were in place. Vehicles going more than 20 km/h over the limit dropped by 87 per cent in those zones. Toronto Metropolitan University's news release on the study also noted that once cameras were removed, speeding rates returned to previous levels.

Jess Spieker of Friends and Families for Safe Streets told the Star: "Speed is the primary determinant of whether a collision is survivable or not."

The City of Toronto's Vision Zero dashboard shows that through mid-November 2026, Toronto recorded 42 traffic fatalities and 193 serious injuries. The 42 fatalities are already above the 40 recorded in all of 2025, which tied 2020 for the lowest since 2014. Pedestrian deaths are up 22 per cent year-to-date, and motorcycle operator deaths are up 83 per cent year-to-date, the Star reported.

The dashboard is at toronto.ca/vision-zero-dashboard.

What the province says and what the City has done

A spokesperson for Ontario's Ministry of Transportation told the Star: "Too many municipalities were using speed cameras as a cash grab rather than a safety tool. The best way to keep our roads safe is to put tangible measures in place, like speed bumps and roundabouts, that actually slow drivers down."

The ban came through provincial legislation that removed the authority of Toronto and other municipalities to operate photo radar, Premier Doug Ford having called the cameras a cash grab. Ontario created a $210 million fund for traffic-calming infrastructure after removing the cameras. The City of Toronto has received $10 million of that fund so far. The City intends to apply for more, according to City Transportation Services general manager Ashley Curtis, who is quoted by the Star.

The City built about 700 speed humps and cushions in 2025 and is targeting about 1,200 in 2026, Curtis told the Star. The City has also built more than 20 protected crossings and reduced speed limits to 30 km/h in two more wards.

What comes next for the City

Mayor Olivia Chow ran on several road safety commitments, including hiring 100 traffic agents, building a new Traffic Command Centre, bringing smart traffic lights to Scarborough first, and improving coordination of road closures and construction. Those promises are tracked at /on/toronto-2026/candidates/olivia-chow.

The new City Council holds its first regular meeting on November 18, 2026. Budget discussions for 2027 will follow and will include decisions on how the City allocates the remaining provincial traffic-calming funds and what additional safety measures it pursues.

Residents who want to speak to Council about road safety can register through the City's public meeting calendar at toronto.ca.