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“This time it was completely missing,” said the co-chair of Safe Parkside Faraz Gholizadeh. “I looked around, and you could see clear tracks where the camera had been dragged.”

The city condemns these acts of vandalism but is not responsible for replacing the speed cameras, a spokesperson said in an email.

“The city does not own any of the (automated speed enforcement) devices as they are a vendor-provided service; it is the vendor’s responsibility to replace or fix devices and report serious incidents of vandalism to º£½ÇÉçÇø¹ÙÍøPolice Services,” the email said.

“The city is also exploring other solutions including pole mounted options and remote monitoring that may help alleviate some of the vandalism issues.”

The incident happened early Sunday morning after 2 a.m., which was the last known sighting of the camera, according to Gholizadeh. He believes the act of vandalism was committed in “the cover of darkness” to avoid being seen.

“It would be funny if it wasn’t for the fact that that camera is there for safety purposes,” Gholizadeh said. 

The Parkside Drive speed camera was installed after a 2021 vehicle-collision killed Valdemar Avila, 71, and Fatima Avila, 69, and led to charges for the driver of a BMW who was travelling at a high rate of speed.

Since its installation, the speed camera has been a cash windfall for the city. It’s the most grossing speed camera in Toronto, issuing 65,392 speeding tickets worth just under $7 million, according to a press release issued by Safe Parkside. One of those tickets clocked a speeding vehicle travelling at 154 km/h, nearly four times the posted speed limit of 40 km/h.

The area has long been known for speeding vehicles. The Star clocked seven drivers going above the speed limit in 30 minutes on a regular day in 2022, with the highest speeder travelling 73 km/h. 

Parkside residents like Gholizadeh have expressed their frustration for years, with more than 1,400 accidents occurring on the street since 2014.

Gholizadeh said the city did make “overdue” modifications to the streets, including two additional street lights that led to a pedestrian pathway and a TTC bus stop. But it’s still not enough, the advocacy group co-chair said. He wants to see the street redesigned with a lane reduction.

“The City of º£½ÇÉçÇø¹ÙÍømakes these bold proclamations. They say they’re committed to Vision Zero and achieving zero pedestrian deaths, and yet there’s very little action in order to achieve those goals.” Gholizadeh said. “You’re not going to achieve (these goals) by making grand statements. You’re only going to achieve them by making changes, physical changes to the streets.”

The city that recommended a redesign project of the road to include bikeways and intersection safety improvements at Lake Shore Boulevard West and Bloor Street West.