Top three intersections where running red lights in Toronto
By NatMed Dec.3, 2023
A large number of people are ticketed every year at intersections equipped with red light cameras (RLC), and the result is financial losses – fines to pay, and make you anxious
Through observation, I found that running red light intersections change frequently. At a certain intersection, the person who received the ticket will pay attention and not make the mistake next time, so the number of red light running will be reduced, and other intersections will stand out and compete for the top spot. The situation changes year by year as more and more intersections are equipped with red light cameras (RLC). Here are the top three from the past five years.
In 2018:
- Richmond St & Parliament St 6615 tickets
- Kennedy Rd & HWY401 CE Kennedy off Ramp/William Kitchen Rd 5641 tickets
- Bayview Ave & Truman Rd/Fifeshire Rd 1648 tickets
In 2019:
- Kennedy Rd & HWY401 CE Kennedy off Ramp/William Kitchen Rd 5454 tickets
- Richmond St & Parliament St 2937 tickets
- Bathurst St & Davenport Rd 2120 tickets
In 2020:
- Kennedy Rd & HWY401 CE Kennedy off Ramp/William Kitchen Rd 4890 tickets
- Bayview Ave & Truman Rd/Fifeshire Rd 3383 tickets
- Bayview ave & Cummer Ave 2601 tickets
In 2021:
- Bayview Ave & Truman Rd/Fifeshire Rd 3679 tickets
- Kennedy Rd & HWY401 CE Kennedy off Ramp/William Kitchen Rd 2662 tickets
- Bayview ave & Cummer Ave 2346 tickets
In 2022:
- Bayview Ave & Truman Rd/Fifeshire Rd 3106 tickets
- Bayview ave & Cummer Ave 2899 tickets
- Lawrence Ave & Howden Rd 2648 tickets
It can be seen that the intersection of Lawrence Ave & Howden Rd is a new RLC in 2021, and it rose to third place in the second year. It can be said that progress has been rapid.
Speaking of the top intersection in 2008, Richmond St and Parliament St, a total of 6,615 tickets were issued, including one of mine. I remember it being a dark, starry morning. As a layout man, I had to arrive at the job site before dawn so that the lines could be laid before the carpenters went to work. There were not many cars on DVP early in the morning. I took the exit and headed west on Richmond St E. As I approached the Parliament St intersection, the green light changed to yellow. I thought I could pass by, so I didn’t slow down and stop, but drove straight past. Less than a second after I crossed the stop line and almost passed the intersection, two bright lights flashed from behind the car. My heart skipped a beat, I thought it was over, I ran a red light! At that moment, I was completely stunned and my mind went blank. I didn’t even know how I parked my car in the parking lot not far away🅿️. When I think about it today, the scene at that time is still vivid in my mind. Normally, there is no problem at the intersection near my home. Why is there a problem here? I really can’t figure out what the problem is?
My construction site is near this intersection and I see two flashes followed by two bursts multiple times a day, which is normal. Every time this happens, we yell, “Another unlucky guy.” The main reason why this intersection ranks among the best is that we just came off the DVP of the highway, the speed is very fast, and there are very few cars on the road. When you see the green light turning into yellow, you think you still have time to pass the intersection, so you have no intention of stopping and just step on the accelerator to pass. As we all know, you may have triggered the camera, and when the flash 📸️ comes on, trouble will come.
After the accident, I checked several nearby intersections with red lights and found that there was a 3-second interval between the yellow light and the red light, but the intersection I was at was unique. Richmond St running east-west takes 3 seconds, Parliament St running north-south takes 4 seconds. There’s a second difference. I feel like I’ve discovered a new world. We work nearby and sometimes pass this intersection from different directions. Due to the difference of one second, if you pass through Parliament St normally, you may have to run a red light when you get to Richmond St. I used my mobile phone to record the time when the yellow light turned red in both directions and prepared to file a lawsuit in court. To this end, I collected a lot of materials and made full preparations. Even though the interpreter was not present on the day of the trial, the judge said I was not guilty. But if there is a trial, I have a good chance of winning.
After further research, I found that in Toronto, the yellow light generally stays on for three seconds, while outside of the GTA, it usually stays on for four seconds. Therefore, people living outside the GTA should be careful not to get a red light ticket due to a second discrepancy. The consequences will be severe. It will make you worry so much that you can’t eat well or sleep well. Although, we can find reasons to defend ourselves afterwards, find ways to pay less fines. But when you consider the cost of taking time off to go to court, parking fees and other costs of subsequent litigation, it really is not worth the candle.
As there are more and more red light intersections, we must take advantage of the trend, take it seriously, abide by traffic rules, and do not run red lights. In order to prevent this from happening, we should at least know where the red light intersection is in advance so that we can prepare in advance. I recently built a traffic information website: Li Zhiguo Traffic, which marked red light camera(RLC) intersections, automated speed enforcement (ASE), accident-prone intersections, winter accident-prone ramps, etc., as well as how to handle accidents and how to file a lawsuit, find a lawyer, etc. And comes with a lot of videos to help solve traffic problems.