Toronto paves the way for more photo radar with a plan to streamline ticketing
A council committee on Tuesday will look at a plan to switch to an "administrative penalty system" for tickets from red light and speed cameras.
Thestar.com
Jan. 4, 2024
Ben Spurr
Toronto wants to double the number of photo radar cameras it uses to catch speeders, but first it needs to streamline the way it handles tickets so an expected increase in charges won’t overwhelm the court system.
A report headed to council's infrastructure and environment committee Tuesday outlines the plan to switch to an "administrative penalty system" for tickets generated by red light and automated speed cameras.
The new system would allow drivers to submit an online or in-person request for a review of their fine by a city screening officer, who would have the authority to cancel, uphold or reduce their penalty. Under the current regime, anyone who wants to dispute a ticket from one of the cameras has to go to court and make their case to a justice of the peace.
The city has already switched to an administrative system to process parking tickets, and it has dramatically sped up the dispute process for those fines.
According to the report, putting traffic cameras under an administrative system, which the city hopes to do by Nov. 1, will "ensure timely and fair dispute resolution" and free up provincial courts to handle other matters.
A more efficient way of dealing with automated tickets is also necessary for the city to follow through on its plan to double the complement of speed cameras from 75 to 150. The additional devices are being rolled out under Toronto's Vision Zero road safety program and are scheduled to be in place by 2026. City staff say the resulting spike in tickets would overwhelm the court system.
Committee chair Coun. Jennifer McKelvie said she strongly supports the new processing system, which she predicted would open the door not only to wider use of speed cameras but other forms of high-tech enforcement.
Last fall council approved a motion she put forward requesting the province allow cities to use traffic cameras to nab drivers who illegally block intersections, which she said would improve road safety and reduce congestion. The city is also exploring using automated enforcement on the King Street transit priority corridor.
The new ticket system is "a step in the right direction and it will help us with a great many things, not just the red light cameras and speed enforcement," said McKelvie (Ward 25 Scarborough-Rouge Park).
Toronto installed its first 50 speed enforcement cameras in 2020, and added 25 more last year. To date the devices, which are located in designated community safety zones, have produced more than 900,000 tickets, according to statistics posted to Toronto's Open Data site.
As of April 2023, Toronto also had 298 red light cameras. The gadgets were used to generate at least 787,000 tickets between 2007 and 2022.
Set fines for speeding in community safety zones vary depending on how fast the car is going, but they begin at $5 per km/h over the limit, plus a victim surcharge and court costs. Running a red light comes with a set penalty of $260, plus the additional charges.
While the new processing system is expected to make it easier for residents to challenge their tickets, a city spokesperson said it's not expected to result in more fines being thrown out or reduced.
The red light and speed camera programs produced more than $52 million in net revenue last year, according to the committee report. Setting up the new system will require hiring officers to hear disputes and is expected to increase operating costs. But the speed camera expansion is projected to push net revenues to more than $70 million by 2026.
A 2023 study prepared for the city found automated enforcement has helped make Toronto's streets safer. The percentage of drivers exceeding the limit fell at 80 per cent of locations where speed cameras were installed, and excessive speeding -- defined as going over by 20 km/h or more -- declined by 87 per cent.
Coun. Stephen Holyday (Ward 2, Etobicoke Centre) said that while automated enforcement has helped improve driver behaviour, the city should "be very careful" about doubling the program's size.
There are already three speed cameras in each ward, which provides "a significant amount of coverage," Holyday argued. He said that if the city installs too many, the public will see the program as a cash grab instead of a safety measure.
"If it's seen as a revenue source, I think we lose people," he said.