Toronto Just Made It Easier To Fight Speeding Tickets & You May Have To Do It More Often

The City of Toronto is about to make it easier for drivers to fight automated red light and speeding tickets, and that's a good thing because they'll probably be handing out a lot more in the years ahead.

Toronto City Council voted unanimously on Wednesday to change the way it handles certain traffic offences caught on camera, and it's looking like a double-edged sword for Torontonians.

On the one hand, the plan might save you a visit to court. On the other, it might lead to you getting more tickets overall.

That is, if you're a heavy-footed driver.

The new plan will overhaul the way Toronto deals with red light and speed camera tickets. Instead of taking these tickets to provincial court if you want to fight them, you'll be able to dispute them through a city-run online system, much like you would a parking ticket right now.

In other words, you won't have to go to court to fight your next speeding or red light ticket.

However, the plan also aims to double the number of speeding cameras from 75 to 150 within the next two years, and it's expected to bring in $71.27 million in net revenue by 2026. That's up from the estimated $52.45 million they hope to rake in this year before all the changes take effect.

So where's that extra money coming from? Partially from time saved in court, but also from all the speeding tickets they'll be handing out, according to the city's plan.

"It's about moving the system forward, but slowing down cars," Mayor Olivia Chow told reporters on Wednesday, per CP24.

"I do know that in some instances if the car is driving slower, less injury and maybe even life saved," she said. "By speeding up our efforts to increase this kind of enforcement so that we can get more cameras on the road, it is saying to the driver 'obey the law. Slow down or else there will be consequences.'"

The new system will roll out on November 1, 2024.

This article's cover image was used for illustrative purposes only.