People are vandalizing and even stealing new photo radar cameras that are a key part of Toronto’s campaign to slow motorists and help eliminate pedestrian and cyclist deaths.

Fifty “automated speed enforcement” cameras have now been installed near schools across Toronto, part of the Vision Zero campaign to see if they slow drivers and help stop an alarming number of road deaths.

But four of the hulking boxes, each weighing 365 kilograms and containing cameras and software to record licence plates of speeding vehicles, were mysteriously hauled away between late December and early January, city spokesperson Hakeem Muhammad told the Star.

One of the ground-based boxes was stolen from Jameson Ave. in west downtown. The three others were taken from locations on Brimorton Dr., Crow Trail and Falmouth Ave. in Scarborough.

The cameras each cost about $50,000 to purchase and operate annually. Under the contract with supplier Redflex Traffic Systems Canada, the company is responsible for maintaining them, so thefts and vandalism should not create extra costs for the city.

News of the thefts, first reported by the Globe and Mail, follows spray-paint vandalism of a camera near Fisherville Senior Public School in the area of Bathurst St. and Steeles Ave. W. The city told the Star’s Jack Lakey that the “weather, ballistic and spray-paint resistant” cameras are ground mounted because the city plans to move them around.

Mounting the devices on poles to make theft or vandalism more difficult could impede their mobility, but city staff are now working with the vendor to “explore placement options” that would secure the devices in place, Muhammad said.

Data from signs telling motorists their speed in school zones have revealed rampant speeding.

Four pedestrians have died in Toronto so far this year, including a 63-year-old man struck near the Shops of Don Mills last week.

Last year was another deadly one for Toronto walkers, with 42 pedestrians killed according to statistics compiled by the Star using police and media reports.

Mayor John Tory has said Toronto was eager to start issuing tickets as soon as the photo-radar cameras were in place. However, enabling regulations passed by the provincial government in December mean vehicle owners will only receive a warning notice for the first 90 days the cameras and warning signs are in place.

Share your thoughts:

“I have no idea why anybody would be so twisted as to vandalize or steal equipment that is meant to save lives and keep people, including children safe,” Tory told the Star on Wednesday.

“I hope anyone caught stealing or vandalizing any road safety equipment face harsh penalties and I know city staff are working with the equipment vendor, who is responsible for the cost of replacing these cameras, so that this kind of irresponsible mischief doesn't happen again.”

The city expects owners of vehicles caught speeding to start receiving warning letters this week. No response is required. The three-month educational campaign should end in April when actual tickets — including fines but no demerit points — will start being mailed out.

Loading... Loading... Loading... Loading... Loading... Loading...

The city’s Vision Zero plan also includes reduced speed limits on some roads, street modifications to naturally slow drivers and a new police unit dedicated to traffic enforcement. Pedestrian and cyclist deaths have raised since a bigger such unit was disbanded in 2012, and traffic enforcement moved to police divisions with many other priorities.

Safety advocates have welcomed the introduction of photo radar but noted the cameras are not currently slated for placement on major arterial streets, where many pedestrians are struck while crossing midblock.

Correction - Feb. 5, 2020: This article was edited from a previous version that mistakenly said the automated speed enforcement cameras are part of a pilot project.