Toronto's single biggest cash cow of a speed camera has raked in millions for the city since it was installed three years ago, but it won't be issuing tickets anytime soon after being taken out of commission by vandals.

The notorious Parkside Drive speed camera was chopped down over the weekend, a not-so-simple job that required the culprit/s to cut all the way through the camera's metal support pole.

Local residents discovered the camera toppled over just three days after Toronto City Council voted in favour of a sweeping redesign of Parkside Drive that would transform the thoroughfare into a "Complete Street" better supporting drivers, cyclists and pedestrians.

Community organization Safe Parkside issued a statement about the vandalism on Monday morning, explaining that even the speed camera's notoriety as Toronto's first such traffic control device "has not made it immune to vandalism, as residents discovered when they found the speed camera had been cut down like a tree"

"Someone had taken the time and effort to cut through the metal pole that supports the speed camera and send the entire contraption crashing to the ground."

Safe Parkside notes the timing of the vandalism, happening just days after the City voted to redesign the street in a way that "that prioritises the safety of all road users and includes the installation of bike lanes."

"These much-needed and long-overdue safety measures have been advocated for by Parkside residents and other concerned community members for over a decade," says Safe Parkside.

Council votes 19-7 to APPROVE the road safety project on Parkside Drive, including west side bike lanes. pic.twitter.com/6ie6aoqgAV

— Matt Elliott (@GraphicMatt) November 14, 2024

Before this weekend's vandalism incident, the speed camera had issued a staggering 63,633 speeding tickets to date, earning the City an estimated $6,808,73 based on the average ticket amount of $107.

The camera has discouraged speeding along this stretch of Parkside Drive, though the camera has still logged drivers racing past at breakneck speeds as high as 126 km/h — over three times the posted speed limit of 40km/h.

Installed in 2021 after a pedestrian was killed on Parkside, the speed camera has racked up impressive totals in ticketed motorists. 

However, despite the presence of the camera and the City's designation of the area as a Community Safety Zone, three more people have been killed by drivers on Parkside Drive since its installation.

"The street continues to experience a very high number of speeding and reckless driving [incidents]," says Safe Parkside.

This is just the latest in a string of similar incidents involving the destruction of speed cameras.

Frustrated motorists have vandalized speed cameras, tipped them over, smashed them, spray-painted them and more to prevent them from properly functioning. One speed camera even had the word "no" written across it by an unknown vandal.

People keep destroying automated speed cameras in Ontariohttps://t.co/IaZFuwT8rJ

— blogTO (@blogTO) September 9, 2024

In fact, this very speed camera was vandalized earlier in 2024.

Someone sabotaged Toronto's most notorious speed camera and locals are fuming https://t.co/Asp7U5cZEX

— blogTO (@blogTO) May 1, 2024

 

A City of Toronto representative tells blogTO that the City "condemns all acts of theft and vandalism."

"Tampering with, damaging or stealing an Automated Speed Enforcement device negatively impacts road safety and allows dangerous speeding to continue near vulnerable road users."

The representative clarified that the City does not own any of the automated speed enforcement cameras in Toronto, "as they are a vendor-provided service," adding that "it is the vendor's responsibility to replace or fix devices."

"The City’s vendor is currently assessing the damage and will develop a plan for repairs."