People keep destroying Toronto speed enforcement cameras

Another traffic enforcement camera in Toronto has been chopped down, the latest in a series of vandalism incidents targeting speed cameras in what is starting to feel like a public revolt against the devices.

A speed camera installed along a stretch of Avenue Road with frequent speeding issues was recently chopped down, only weeks after first being installed outside of a condo building at 315 Avenue Road, between St. Clair and Dupont.

A photo shared to Reddit on Sunday shows the stump of the fallen camera, a new victim in what has become a small-scale guerilla war against traffic cameras.

Another speed camera gone (Avenue Road)

byu/ChristOnATrike intoronto

The unsanctioned removal of this traffic camera joins a pattern of such vandalism, and comes just days after another high-profile traffic enforcement camera was cut down for the third time.

In late December, the notorious Parkside Drive speed camera, which has raked in close to $7 million in fines for the City, was cut down by unknown persons yet again. The enforcement device was then dragged through High Park, and unceremoniously dumped in a pond.

It’s the third such instance of that camera being targeted, according to advocacy group Safe Parkside.

Safe Parkside has now documented at least three recent instances of people knocking over, chopping down or otherwise trying to rid the street bordering High Park of the device. While other ASE cameras have been similarly vandalized over the years, none appear to have been targeted as often as Parkside’s.

It’s become such a recurring issue in Toronto that one Reddit user has even suggested the City install more cameras just to monitor the speed cameras.

“Here’s a thought… what about cameras monitoring the speed cameras? Must be cheaper than replacing or fixing them every month,” the user wrote.

Others argue that the cameras are not fair to drivers, like one reader who wrote in to say “Remember 53 km in a 40 km zone is $150. In my mind, 13 km isn’t even speeding especially if the camera is at the bottom of a hill!”