Title: Speed Camera Ticketing Threshold Set at 11 km/h Over Limit

Content: In Toronto and several nearby municipalities, drivers must exceed the speed limit by at least 11 kilometers per hour to receive a ticket from automatic speed cameras. This information comes amid ongoing discussions about the future of speed cameras in Ontario, particularly following Premier Doug Ford's recent announcement of plans to ban these devices. Ford has criticized speed cameras as a “cash grab,” claiming that drivers are being ticketed for exceeding the limit by only a couple of kilometers.

However, sources familiar with the ticketing process confirm that the threshold for issuing tickets is consistently set at 11 km/h over the limit in Toronto and other large municipalities in the Greater Toronto Area (GTA). While there are reports of at least one municipality in Ontario where tickets can be issued for speeds less than 10 km/h over the limit, the majority of larger municipalities adhere to the 11 km/h standard.

On Thursday, over 20 mayors from Ontario urged Ford to reconsider his stance on speed cameras, arguing that a complete ban would jeopardize public safety and reverse progress made in traffic safety initiatives. Under current provincial legislation, municipalities can legally issue tickets for exceeding the speed limit by as little as one kilometer per hour, but this has not been the practice.

Many municipalities have refrained from disclosing their specific thresholds to prevent drivers from adjusting their speeds to avoid tickets. However, in light of Ford's threats to eliminate speed cameras, officials are increasingly feeling the need to clarify the thresholds to demonstrate that drivers are not being unfairly penalized. A source with knowledge of Toronto's speed camera operations stated, "We have never issued a ticket below the threshold. Nobody's doing that."

In practice, drivers are not ticketed for speeds below 11 km/h over the limit in various speed zones, including 30, 40, and 50 km/h zones, with a slightly larger buffer for 60 km/h zones and above. Toronto City Councilor Josh Matlow emphasized the importance of showing that speed cameras are used only against those who are excessively speeding. He noted that he has been informed that drivers within 10 km/h over the limit will not be fined.

Brampton Mayor Patrick Brown confirmed that his city’s 185 speed cameras also operate under the same 11 km/h threshold. He expressed hope that data from local traffic studies would persuade Ford to reconsider his position. Newmarket Mayor John Taylor, while not disclosing a specific number, stated that his town has not issued any tickets for speeds between one and 10 km/h over the limit, confirming that the lowest speeding ticket issued is for 11 km/h over.

Ford's government plans to introduce a bill this fall to ban speed cameras, proposing instead to invest in alternative traffic calming measures such as speed bumps and roundabouts. He stated, "If you really want to slow people down, speed cameras do not slow people down."

Research from The Hospital for Sick Children indicates that automated speed cameras can reduce aggressive driving and speeding by nearly half. Since the law permitting these devices was enacted in 2019, over 700 speed cameras have been installed across 40 municipalities in Ontario.

While the City of Toronto did not confirm the 11 km/h threshold directly, spokesperson Kate Lear stated that the automated speed enforcement program has consistently used this threshold since its inception in 2020. She added that the average speed over the limit for all tickets issued in Toronto in 2024 was 15 km/h. Toronto also processes tickets for several nearby municipalities, all of which reportedly use the same threshold.

Despite the established thresholds, it is noted that they are not uniform across Ontario, with at least one small municipality reportedly issuing tickets at a lower threshold. Discussions regarding this matter are expected to take place at an upcoming council meeting in that municipality. Toronto officials have previously stated that revealing the threshold could undermine the effectiveness of the speed enforcement program. Matlow argued that sharing this information is crucial to counter misinformation regarding automated enforcement. London City Councilor Shawn Lewis echoed this sentiment, suggesting that discussing the threshold might be necessary to preserve the program while negotiations with the province continue.