Mississauga speed camera knocked down and it’s one of 164 reports of vandalism to the devices

It appears many people aren’t happy with speed cameras popping up on Mississauga streets.

A camera was spotted knocked over and damaged outside Mentor College on Forest Avenue in Port Credit, resident Kenny Cosway tells insauga.com. And Cosway found another one damaged not far away this week.

Officially known as automated speed enforcement (ASE), the device uses a camera and speed measurement equipment to enforce the speed limit. When a vehicle is detected travelling above the posted speed limit, a ticket is issued to the registered owner of the vehicle.

Mississauga uses the speed cameras in community safety zones where the speed limit is less than 80 km/h. The camera locations are chosen based on data including the severity of speeding in the area, traffic volumes, collision history and site suitability, according to the city.

The devices are moved and new speed camera locations are regularly added.

The camera on Forest Avenue has been active since June 13 of this year. In addition to being knocked over, it also appears to have been spray painted.

This isn’t the first time the cameras have been defaced. In September, Mississauga Ward 10 Councillor Sue McFadden found a speed camera on Churchill Meadows Boulevard partially covered in what appeared to be black spray paint.

“Unfortunately, vandalism is a common occurrence for many City services, and it is not unusual for ASE cameras to become the target of graffiti or other types of vandalism,” Irene McCutcheon, spokesperson for the City of Mississauga, told insauga.com in an emailed statement.

So far in 2022, there have been 164 reports of vandalism on the cameras throughout Mississauga, McCutcheon said.

However, some of these reports would be for the same incident of vandalism as there are often multiple reports for the same incident.

“All maintenance and repairs are the responsibility of the vendor and there is no additional cost to the City,” she added.

Reports of vandalism have occurred at many ASE locations at one time or another, she said.

Typically, staff have found that the number of incidents reduces after the first few weeks a camera is in place. Residents should call 311 to report incidents of vandalism so they can be addressed as quickly as possible.

Mississauga gets fine revenue generated from the tickets after remittances and municipal costs from the ASE program, McCutcheon said.

According to city numbers released this summer, while the ASE program has dished out more than $1 million in fines and has been somewhat effective in reducing the number of speeders, it’s losing money.

A June 3 report from city transportation and works staff noted that while the ASE camera program has reduced speeding in and around school zones, it is also costing the city money due to issues collecting fines.

McCutcheon said revenue collected from tickets covers operating costs related to staffing, equipment, violation processing and adjudication. Any revenue in excess of program costs will be used to support future safety and educational initiatives.

With files from Declan Finucane