The city of Montreal wants more control over speed cameras

The City of Montreal wants to control the number and location of speed cameras. They say they are concerned about the safety of vulnerable road users such as pedestrians and cyclists.

“Our desire is to have all the authority to put them where we think is the right place to put them,” Montreal Mayor Valerie Plante said Wednesday.

Sophie Mauzerolle, head of mobility at Montreal's executive committee, plans to present the city's demands during a study of Bill 48 at the National Assembly in Quebec City, chaired by Transport Minister Genevieve Guilbeau.

The minister intends to remove the requirement under the Road Safety Code that cities must report to the government on the plates surrounding speed cameras once they are installed.

Additionally, Quebec wants to allow cities to install speed cameras themselves, but only in school zones or active construction sites.

The Plante administration wants complete autonomy in choosing the locations and total amount for these photo radars.

“There are currently 52 speed cameras (in Quebec), including only eight in Montreal,” Plante said. “Toronto, by comparison, has a total of 75.”

The Quebec government is considering the purchase of state-of-the-art radars that would allow the vehicle to be photographed at two points on the road, calculating the average speed based on travel time.

This prevents vehicles from slowing down until they approach a speed camera.

According to data provided by the city, speed cameras reduce speeds by an average of 11 km/h and also reduce red light traffic by 70 percent.

However, CAA-Quebec opposes the idea of ​​the Plante administration.

The organization believes that oversight of photo radars should be kept at the ministerial level “to ensure orderly deployment of these tools.”