Generating $7 million! Toronto's most profitable speed camera is destroyed for the fourth time in five months.
This past Saturday morning, an automated speed camera on Parkside Drive near High Park was once again deliberately damaged. This marks the fourth such incident within the last five months. Police have launched an investigation but currently have no suspect information.
In a statement, the local residents' rights organization Safe Parkside criticized that the long-term malfunction of this speed camera has seriously affected its traffic safety effects.
The organization also revealed that this camera is the city's most "profitable" speed device, having issued over 65,000 tickets and generated more than $7 million since its installation. One ticket record shows that a driver was recorded traveling at 154 kilometers per hour on a road with a speed limit of 40 kilometers per hour, nearly four times the speed limit.
Despite the significant fine income brought by the cameras, Safe Parkside questions their actual effectiveness in improving traffic safety. "Speed cameras were installed only after the 2021 accident that took the lives of two elders, yet the serious safety issues on the road remain unresolved."
Toronto City Hall responded by condemning all acts of vandalism against speed cameras and emphasized that these devices help reduce speeding rates and overall vehicle speeds, thereby enhancing community safety. The city added that although the equipment is not owned by the city, the supplier must complete repairs within 30 days and report all major incidents of damage to the police.
Original Source: https://www.toutiao.com/article/1829963018139660/
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