TTC could soon get automated cameras to bust drivers who pass streetcars

Passing a stopped streetcar is perhaps the top faux pas a motorist can pull in Toronto, but the TTC could soon have a tool to fight back against dangerous drivers, with a plan now in motion to install automated enforcement cameras on streetcars.

Adding cameras to TTC streetcars has long been discussed as a means to cut down on cars passing open doors with riders boarding and exiting vehicles, but a new motion proposed to the TTC Board could see the enforcement measure finally implemented.

On Sept. 16, Ward 12 Toronto—St. Paul’s councillor and TTC Board Commissioner Josh Matlow announced his intention to propose automated enforcement cameras at an upcoming TTC meeting, noting a 2021 provincial regulation allowing the TTC to use automated cameras to nab drivers who pass open streetcar doors.

The following day, Matlow tabled a motion — seconded by fellow TTC Commissioner and city councillor Chris Moise — recommending that the TTC Board “approve automated ticketing enforcement for motorists that fail to stop for open streetcar doors and report back to the October TTC Board meeting with [an] implementation plan.”

The move comes less than two weeks after a TTC passenger was struck by a motorist who blew past a stopped streetcar.

Matlow’s motion explains that “the failure of vehicles to stop for pedestrians entering and exiting TTC streetcars is a serious and ongoing issue, exemplified by a recent incident where a rider was hit by a car that failed to stop on September 8, 2024.”

“This issue is difficult to enforce without automation given the scale of streetcar service and frequency of stops.”

The motion acknowledges that the city’s streetcars have indeed been equipped with active external cameras since 2019, though “the TTC has not proceeded with automated camera enforcement for motorists who fail to stop for open streetcar doors.”

Matlow’s motion directs the commission’s staff to green-light automated ticketing enforcement and report back with an implementation plan during an upcoming TTC Board meeting in October.