Toronto named one of worst ‘Speed Trap Cities’

Jasmeet Sidhu

STAFF REPORTER

Slow down, Toronto, you’re going too fast.

Toronto received the dubious honour of being deemed the Ontario city with the most speed traps by the National Motorists Association in their annual list of “Worst North American Speed Trap Cities.”

It’s a no-brainer that in Canada’s largest city, we like to push the limit.

But it seems our police officers like cashing in on it more so than others, with more ticket-blitz zones set up around town than Los Angeles, New York City and Montreal combined.

The list was determined by counting specific speed trap zones in cities sent in by users to the National Speed Trap Exchange website.

“Toronto by far, at least in the province of Ontario, has the most speed traps that have been submitted by drivers through the area,” says Gary Biller, executive director of the motorists’ association, which runs the website.

“On the National Speed Trap Exchange website, we have 56 different pages under Toronto for a list of speed traps,” Biller says. “That amounts to about 250 to 260 individual speed trap locations that have been reported over the past few years.”

In comparison, Montreal had 65 reported speed traps; Calgary, 122; Los Angeles, 155. And New York City, only 30.

So what are some hot spots to avoid in Toronto? The website is chock full of driver warnings, with the Allen Expressway notorious for its speeding-ticket happy police officers.

“Travelling southbound on the Allen Expressway (Allen Rd)., cruisers are known to hide on the Lawrence Ave. on-ramp. They’ve got the speed detection right above you as you come out of the Lawrence Ave. overpass. There’s no way around it,” one user wrote on the website.

On July 18, another driver wrote this about Scarlett Rd., just north of St. Clair Ave. E.: “If you’re coming southbound on Scarlet Rd., (sic) you’ll be going up a significant hill, thus you accelerate harder and as the road levels out, you’re going a little quicker than 50 kilometres per hour. The cops usually wait down the road near the entrance of the golf club. (Also a community zone, fines are increased).”

So beware in Toronto, and don’t be too hasty. At least, not where the police are watching.

More videos from Wheels.ca and our partners