Pay your automated speed enforcement ticket online.

Automated Speed Enforcement (ASE) is an automated system that uses a camera and a speed measurement device to detect and capture images of vehicles travelling in excess of the posted speed limit. It is designed to work in tandem with other methods and strategies, including engineering measures, education initiatives and traditional police enforcement. ASE is focused on altering driver behaviour to decrease speeding and increase safety.

The images are reviewed by Provincial Offence Officers and then tickets are issued to the owner of the vehicle regardless of who was driving. Upon conviction, the only penalty is a fine – no demerit points will be issued nor will the registered owners’ driving record be impacted.

Locations are selected through a data-driven approach that considers vehicle speed and collision data. ASE systems are placed in Community Safety Zones.

Information on paying or disputing your ticket can be found by visiting the City of Toronto’s Court Services.

If you received a ticket in the mail for speeding in a community safety zone, you can view the images of your vehicle using the City’s Court Case Look Up application.

Pay Your Ticket Online


Black and white street sign that reads Municipal Speed Camera in useSigns will be posted advising motorists when they are in a Community Safety Zone with an ASE system. Motorists should always obey the speed limit and always drive at a speed that will let them stop safely. This means driving below the posted speed limit in bad weather, in heavy traffic or in Community Safety Zones.

If a vehicle is detected by the ASE system travelling in excess of the posted speed limit, the registered owner of the vehicle will receive a ticket regardless of who was driving. The total payable amount includes a Set Fine under Schedule D of the Provincial Offences Act, a victim fine surcharge and applicable court costs. No demerit points will be issued by the Ministry of Transportation and no one’s driving record will be impacted.

There is no Set Fine for instances where a vehicle has exceeded the posted speed limit by 50 km/h or more. In these circumstances, a summons will be served to the registered vehicle owner to appear before the Court.


View the ASE System Certificates of Accuracy.

75 ASE systems are installed on local, collector and arterial roads in Community Safety Zones. There are three systems per ward to ensure an even distribution.

The ASE systems are mobile and will rotate every three to six months within each ward. This provides an opportunity to address a greater number of areas with safety concerns and provide a wider-ranging deterrent effect. “Coming soon” warning signs will be posted 90 days before ticketing begins at any new ASE location. Warning letters will not be issued.

Map of ASE and Red Light Camera Locations

In selecting ASE sites, a two-staged process was used that was developed based on best practices and provincial guidelines.

Stage 1: First, an initial screening of all Community Safety Zones were identified and prioritized based on the following data:

  • Collisions involving children
  • Collisions where a vulnerable road user was killed or seriously injured
  • Vehicle speed data
  • 24-hour traffic volume
  • Percent of students within walking distance
  • Requests from Police and the public

Stage 2: Once the sites were prioritized, a manual review of the site was conducted which included the following considerations:

  • Necessary regulatory and advisory signage (Community Safety Zone, Speed Limit, and ASE);
  • No obstructions or impediments to the equipment;
  • Adequate boulevard space to accommodate the equipment;
  • No planned road work;
  • No sharp curves or extreme grading changes;
  • No speed limit reductions planned;
  • Adequate distance from speed limit transitions; and
  • Cannot have the presence of a flashing 40km/h speed limit reduction sign.

Once sites are assessed, operational considerations may result in minor adjustments to site prioritizations.

To submit a request for ASE, please fill in the online form.

The City launched a multilingual public education campaign to remind residents of the presence of ASE systems and the dangers of speeding.

Higher driving speeds contribute to a higher risk of serious injuries and fatalities:

  • Higher driving speeds reduce a drivers’ field of vision as well as peripheral vision and consequently, situational awareness, which is crucial for anticipating and reacting to unexpected events or sudden changes in road conditions.
  • The higher the speed, the greater the stopping distance required when braking, and as a result, the increased risk of a serious or fatal collision.
  • Should a collision occur, an impact at higher speeds inflicts more severe blunt force trauma on victims. The effect is most pronounced for vulnerable road users who do not have protection.

Warning Letter Period

From January 20, 2020 to March 31, 2020, the City issued over 25,000 warning letters to the registered owners of speeding vehicles. This was part of the City’s education campaign to inform residents about the new program and the implications of speeding. No tickets were issued during this period.


Pilot

The Automated Speed Enforcement (ASE) pilot occurred between September and December of 2018.

During this four-month pilot program, ASE units were used to collect data to better understand the processing and administrative requirements of the enforcement program. Data was collected from school zones located on local, collector, and arterial roads at a total of 8 locations, with each location active for 1 month and included the collection of speed and volume data, 24 hours a day, 7 days a week.

The Automated Speed Enforcement pilot project did not involve the issuance of tickets or charges to vehicle owners as the regulations necessary from the Province of Ontario have not yet been enacted.

The following table provides a summary of the locations where the cameras were deployed and the data that was collected at each of the locations.

Location (speed limit) Average Weekly Vehicles detected above the speed limit Average Weekly Vehicles detected more than 10km/h above the speed limit Average Weekly Volume Max Detected Speed (km/h)
Gateway Blvd

(40km/h)

10,347 1,010 52,911 86.9
Don Mills Rd

(60km/h)

5,743 1,058 85,488 137.9
Queen St

(40km/h)

23,748 5,587 52,150 127.4
Renforth Ave

(40km/h)

25,511 7,370 37,091 202.3
Wilson Ave

(50km/h)

52,151 16,937 83,867 156.4
Dufferin St

(50km/h)

14,139 2,192 63,498 124.4
Rockcliffe Blvd

(30km/h)

49,608 32,571 56,230 102.8
Avenue Rd

(40km/h)

60,170 22,013 103,180 109.8

 

Evaluation data from the City of Toronto’s Automated Speed Enforcement (ASE) program highlight how speed cameras have been effective in significantly reducing the number of people speeding and overall vehicle speeds, pointing to increased compliance and improved driver behaviour.

An evaluation study conducted by researchers from The Hospital for Sick Children (SickKids) in collaboration with the Toronto Metropolitan University (TMU) analyzed speed and collision data from January 2020 to December 2022 at 204 locations that had an ASE device. Although data collection was affected by the pandemic, substantial data was collected during periods without stay-at-home orders or school closures.

The study shows that the proportion of people speeding in 30, 40 and 50 km/h speed limit zones dropped from approximately 60 to 43, 51 to 30 and 58 to 36 per cent respectively when the devices were operational. This represents an overall 45 per cent reduction in the proportion of people speeding in areas with an ASE device.

The data also show the introduction of ASE devices reduced the operating speed of vehicles or the speed at which most vehicles travel in free-flowing conditions, helping to mitigate the potential risks associated with high-speed traffic. Vehicle operating speeds in 30, 40 and 50 km/h speed limit zones dropped from approximately 44 to 37, 50 to 44 and 63 to 60 km/h respectively when the devices were active. This represents an overall decrease of approximately seven km/h in vehicle operating speeds in areas with an ASE device.

The study also found the percentage of drivers exceeding the speed limit decreased at 80 per cent of locations with an ASE device. Excessive speeding – driving over the speed limit by 20 km/h or more – was also reduced by 87 per cent after the placement of an ASE device.

Download the full Automated Speed Enforcement Program Evaluation.

History

  • Feb 3, 2023:  As directed by City Council, 25 new ASE cameras were implemented to the program, for a total of 75 ASE cameras in the City of Toronto.
  • December 1, 2020: To complement the existing Community Safety Zones for public schools, City Council approved amendments to the necessary bylaws to designate the extended frontages of private secondary schools as Community Safety Zones.
  • July 6, 2020: The City began issuing ASE tickets to vehicles travelling in excess of the posted speed limit.
  • January 20, 2020: The City began issuing warning letters in lieu of tickets for vehicles captured by the ASE system travelling in excess of the posted speed limit as part of its education campaign
  • July 16, 2019: To complement the existing Community Safety Zones for public schools, City Council approved amendments to the necessary bylaws to designate the extended frontages of French language schools, private elementary schools and additional secondary schools as Community Safety Zones.
  • December 2, 2019: The Province of Ontario passed enabling regulations allowing municipalities to operate an Automated Speed Enforcement program.
  • July 16, 2019: City Council approved the award of the ASE contract to Redflex Traffic Systems (Canada) Limited. Additionality, Council provided the City with the authority to enter into an agreement with partnering municipalities for the Joint Processing Centre, and enter into the necessary agreements with the Ministry of Transportation.
  • June 26, 2018: City Council approved amendments to necessary bylaws to designate the extended frontages of the 754 kindergarten to grade 8 (K-8) public elementary schools within the City as Community Safety Zones. Doing so made the Zones eligible for automated speed enforcement under the Province’s Bill 65, Safer School Zones Act, 2017, once the applicable sections are proclaimed in force, while providing the immediate benefit of speeding fines being doubled in these key walking and biking routes to schools.
  • May 22, 2018: City Council authorized an agreement with the Minister of Transportation, for the access and use of licence plate registration information for the purposes of the automated speed enforcement pilot and subsequent speed enforcement program.
  • January 31, 2018: City Council authorized the City to proceed with Automated Speed Enforcement in conjunction with the Province of Ontario and other partnering municipalities, including the issuance of a Request for Proposals investigating the feasibility for the City of Toronto to manage the Joint Processing Centre on behalf of the partnering municipalities for the future Automated Speed Enforcement program
  • May 2017: Bill 65 amended the Highway Traffic Act to introduce the use of ASE in municipalities to address ongoing issues with speeding in School Safety Zones and Community Safety Zones
  • July 12, 2016: City Council authorized a request be made to the Ministry of Transportation to allow the City to implement a mobile automated speed enforcement pilot project in school zones and construction zones.

Statistics

  • As part of the City of Toronto’s routine disclosure of frequently requested records, the number of charges/tickets issued by our Automated Speed Enforcement (ASE) program is available on the City of Toronto’s Open Data Portal.