One of Toronto's most dangerous streets saw almost 2,000 offences in one month

If challenged with the question, "what's the most dangerous street in Toronto?," you'd be forgiven for looking up violent crime statistics. But it isn't criminal behaviour that arguably elevates Parkside Drive to the title of the city's most dangerous thoroughfare.

It's the near-constant speeding tickets and traffic offences that make this street one to avoid.

The recent release of new Automated Speed Enforcement (ASE) data shows that the speed camera monitoring southbound traffic on Parkside Drive, south of Algonquin Avenue, registered more tickets than any other speed enforcement camera in the city in December.

The staggering 1,841 speeding fines issued by the automated camera in December outpaced all of the other 55 locations, taking the crown of the speediest street for the seventh month since the camera was installed in April 2022.

During that period, the camera issued a bonkers volume of tickets — 19,437, to be exact.

That number accounts for a whopping ten per cent of all fines issued during that time period. At an average ticket fee of $107, the City may have collected upwards of $2 million from this speed camera alone.

Parkside Drive trails only the Sheppard Ave E at Don Mills Rd intersection for tickets since the launch of the speed camera program in July 2020, though this six-lane stretch operates more like an urban highway than a city street.

Locals have raised concerns about speeding on Parkside Drive for years, an issue that boiled over in October 2021 when a tragic crash left two victims dead and the community seeking urgent solutions.

People call for change after fatal crash on Parkside Drive in Toronto https://t.co/KXsoP9yC3i #Toronto

— blogTO (@blogTO) October 14, 2021

Six months later, a speed enforcement camera was installed not far from the scene of the crash, and speed limits were reduced to 40 km/h, but the latest figures show that excessive speeds are still a major concern in the area.