‘Big concern’: Parkside speed camera axed for 6th time despite new surveillance camera

A speed surveillance camera on Parkside Drive near High Park has been vandalized for the 6th time.

One of Toronto’s most frequently vandalized speed cameras was again chopped down — this time under the watch of a newly installed surveillance camera.

The Parkside Drive camera, which re-entered service just last week after being vandalized in May, has now been knocked out of service for the sixth time in nine months.

In an email to CTV News Toronto, advocates from the group Safe Parkside, say the “lack of meaningful safety measures” remain a “big concern” for a street that borders the city’s busiest park.

Just one week ago, city officials confirmed that a nearby surveillance camera to watch the speed camera was added at the request of Toronto police to monitor the site.

The stretch of Parkside, where the speed limit is 40 km/h, remains a hot spot for enforcement and public scrutiny following a deadly 2021 chain-reaction crash that killed two seniors. Road safety advocates say the repeat vandalism exposes persistent gaps in street-level protections.

How are police responding?

Toronto police confirmed they are aware of this latest incident but told CTV News they “do not have a report on file yet.”

However, they have previously stated that charges for damaging the camera—if laid—could include mischief over $5,000.

The city is required to replace damaged speed cameras within 30 days.

‘Little in the form of safety once again’

Faraz Gholizadeh, a member of the group Safe Parkside, says the repeat damage underscores the city’s ongoing failure to secure the area.

The Parkside Drive camera has issued more than 66,000 tickets and more than $7 million in fines since first being installed in 2022.

“Despite the recent installation of a surveillance camera watching over the often vandalized Parkside Drive speed camera, the Parkside speed camera was cut down for a 6th time overnight, leaving this dangerous street with little in the form of safety once again,” Gholizadeh told CTV News.

Parkside Drive, which borders High Park on the west side and residential homes on the east, has long been flagged as a high-risk area for speeding by concerned residents like Gholizadeh.

City council did approve a road safety project on Parkside Drive last November, which included bike lanes and design changes to decrease motor vehicle speeds. However, the fate of the redesign is up in the air in the wake of new provincial legislation which prevents municipalities from removing lanes of traffic to accommodate new bike lane’s without permission from Queen’s Park.

“The lack of meaningful safety measures remains a big concern,” Gholizadeh added. “Despite Parkside Drive’s long and deadly history of speeding, the City of Toronto continues to overlook safety on Parkside Drive year after year.”

Where did the camera go?

While the investigation is still early, Gholizadeh tells CTV News he has found evidence of what likely happened moments after the camera was cut down.

“It looks like the camera was dragged,” he said.

“I was following a trail and the camera was clearly dragged through the park. It comes down to a cement path where the trail just ends... It takes you to a path that’s wide enough for motor vehicles that city vehicles sometimes use but there’s a gate.”

He says when he went down to inspect the gate, he discovered the lock had also been cut.

“What the vandals did was they cut the lock... opened the gate up, drove their car in, loaded up the speed camera and drove away with it. That seems to be the theory.”

Police have yet to confirm any of these details.

However, last month, they did reveal that 11 speed cameras across the city were vandalized within the span of a single week.