

Chris Fox, CP24.com





Speed enforcement cameras could soon be installed in school zones and community safety zones across the city, though they will not be used to issue tickets until new provincial legislation permitting the practice is formally enacted.

The city has issued a request for proposals for an unspecified number of mobile automatic speed enforcement units.

According to a press release, the units will be deployed in school zones and community safety zones as part of a pilot project scheduled to take place between September and December of this year.

They will not be used to issue tickets but they will be used to collect data on the speeds and volume of vehicles in school zones and community safety zones. The city says that data will be used for “educational and outreach purposes” and will also be helpful as staff work to prepare the rollout of an eventual automatic speed enforcement program.

"The safety of our citizens is my number one priority and I am pleased to see our Vision Zero Road Safety Plan introduce new initiatives to reduce speed in our communities," Mayor John Tory said in a press release. “We all have a responsibility to keep people safe on Toronto’s roads, and excessive speed is a major contributor to deaths and injuries in Toronto."

The province did approve legislation that will give cities the ability to use automatic speed enforcement systems to issue tickets and charges last year, though that legislation has not yet been formally enacted.

The city says that it expects that its automatic speed enforcement will begin in late 2019.