Drivers on Parkside Drive have been clocked at speeds as high as 154 kilometres per hour, according to new data released through a freedom of information (FOI) request filed by community advocacy group Safe Parkside. The top 10 speeds recorded by the automated speed enforcement camera on the stretch were all over 100 km/h — more than double the posted 40 km/h limit.
Parkside Drive borders High Park and several residential neighbourhoods, making the figures particularly concerning for residents and pedestrians. “This is all happening right beside the city’s busiest park, as families, children, seniors, daycares and schools are forced to cross this urban highway,” Safe Parkside wrote on Instagram on Wednesday.
Speeding has been a chronic problem on Parkside Drive. In 2021, a multi-vehicle collision led to the death of a senior couple, galvanizing community calls for safer street design. Faraz Gholizadeh, local resident and co-chair of Safe Parkside, said the data confirms long-standing fears. “I knew the speeds were going to be crazy, and of course they were crazy, so it wasn’t any surprise,” he told TorontoToday. “The most surprising part is that the city is aware of this, and yet they’re still dragging their feet when it comes to actually addressing speeding on Parkside.”
The Parkside Drive speed camera has been at the centre of political and community debate. Premier Doug Ford has repeatedly promised to remove speed cameras across the province, putting him at odds with Mayor Olivia Chow and city councillors who support their use as a safety tool. The camera on Parkside is one of the city’s busiest and has been vandalized multiple times — cut down seven times in recent months. Despite the controversy, crash rates have fallen since the camera was installed, and it issued more tickets in its first month than any other in the city.
Gholizadeh emphasized that while automated enforcement plays an important role, the real problem lies in the road’s design. “Parkside’s design is essentially like an urban highway,” he said. “You can’t have a street that’s designed for speed and then put a couple signs up and a speed camera and expect it to correct an issue that’s design related.”
Community advocates have been calling for progress on the Parkside Drive Study, a city-led project to redesign the corridor for greater safety. The study was approved in late 2024, but there have been no updates since. Residents say the lack of visible action is disappointing, especially as new data underscores the urgency for meaningful infrastructure changes to make the street safer for everyone.