FOI data shows a driver hit 154 km/h on Parkside Dr., nearly four times the speed limit. Safe Parkside calls for urgent city redesign.
Record-breaking speed revealed
A Toronto driver was caught travelling 154 kilometres per hour on Parkside Drive—almost four times the posted limit—according to newly released data obtained by the community advocacy group Safe Parkside. The information, released this week, came through a freedom-of-information request covering speed-camera activity from April 2022 to September 7, 2025.
A dangerous stretch in Toronto’s west end
Parkside Drive runs between Bloor Street West and Lake Shore Boulevard West, bordered by High Park on one side and residential homes on the other. The corridor has long been considered hazardous. The city reduced the limit from 50 to 40 km/h after a fatal five-car crash in October 2021 killed two seniors.
Data highlights alarming trend
The records show multiple extreme cases, with the top five speeds all exceeding 120 km/h and many others over 100 km/h. The **highest reading—154 km/h—**was captured earlier this year before the camera was cut down for the seventh time in September.
Community group urges city action
Safe Parkside co-chair Faraz Gholizadeh said the findings confirm what residents already suspected.
“We knew the numbers would be shocking,” Gholizadeh said Wednesday. “This data proves speeding is still out of control on Parkside Drive, and people’s lives are being put at risk.”
The group is demanding that the city accelerate a Parkside Drive redesign study, approved by council last November, to make the street safer for all users.
Proposed redesign and safety improvements
The city-approved study recommends:
- Two-way cycle tracks on the west side of Parkside Drive
- Intersection upgrades at Bloor St. W. and Lake Shore Blvd. W.
- New and improved TTC bus stops
- Designated turning lanes and wider sidewalks
Safe Parkside also suggests temporarily reducing four traffic lanes to two until the redesign is complete.
City response and enforcement challenges
Toronto has implemented several measures since 2021, including lowering the speed limit, installing new traffic signals at Geoffrey Street and High Park Trail, and improving street lighting. The speed camera, however, has been vandalized repeatedly—cut down seven times since installation—hampering enforcement.
Mayor Olivia Chow said Wednesday the city will replace the damaged unit.
“Speed cameras save lives,” Chow said. “We’ll continue to support them because speed kills—and these cameras work.”
Political and legal roadblocks
Local councillor Gord Perks has blamed delays on Ontario’s Bill 212, the Reducing Gridlock, Saving You Time Act, 2024, which requires ministerial approval for new bike lanes. Portions of the law are now under legal challenge after being deemed unconstitutional.
Despite the hurdles, Gholizadeh believes the city can still move forward.
“There are ways around the bill,” he said. “The city just needs the will to fight for public safety.”
A decade of collisions fuels urgency
A city report recorded 1,487 crashes on Parkside Drive between August 2014 and August 2024, including five serious injuries and two deaths. Advocates say those numbers underscore why the redesign—and restored speed enforcement—cannot wait.
