Montreal mayor urges Quebec for more photo radars to improve school zone safety

Montreal Mayor Valérie Plante says that the city needs 300 photo radars to calm traffic, particularly in school zones, but she is disappointed with the Quebec government's plan to purchase only 250 for the entire province.

At a Wednesday news conference, Plante urged Quebec Transport Minister Geneviève Guilbault to allocate more photo radars to Montreal. These devices can automatically document and fine drivers for speeding.

The province is moving forward with its call for tenders, a process that could take up to four years, and Plante said that's far too long. After this, the Transport Ministry will decide where each device is installed.

Plante contends that her administration should have greater control over the placement of photo radars, as it is more aware of vulnerable locations such as schools, daycares and long-term care homes.

"We would like to have much more flexibility and many more radars," said Plante. "The Quebec Ministry of Transport is not an expert on the local streets in Montreal."

Plante began her speech by recalling the death of Mariia Legenkovska in December 2022 in the Ville-Marie borough. The seven-year-old Ukrainian girl was walking to school with her brother when a motorist struck her.

Following Mariia's death, demonstrations were held as students, parents and community groups called for safer school zones.

Mariia was heading to Jean-Baptiste-Meilleur elementary school when she died. On Wednesday, Plante held the news conference in front of the school, which lacks photo radars despite the city's requests.

Devices reduce collisions by 42%, city says

Plante expressed alarm over the number of people ignoring rules, speeding near schools and running red lights.

"We can't place a police officer on every street corner," she said.

Montreal claims that photo radars would reduce collisions by 42 per cent. The city has identified nearly three dozen priority locations for the devices, including schools, daycares and parks.

When asked for comment, a spokesperson for Transport Minister Geneviève Guilbault told CBC News that the Coalition Avenir Québec was in caucus on Wednesday. She said she had not heard Plante's news conference and was unable to comment.

As part of the city's five-year effort to slow drivers around schools, known as the Programme de sécurisation aux abords des écoles (PSAE), 11,000 additional students will benefit from traffic-calming measures near key locations.

Plante's administration states that PSAE has helped calm traffic around 121 schools, seven daycares and seven parks, ensuring safer travel for over 50,000 Montreal students.

Opposition welcomes school zone safety improvement

Opposition Coun. Alba Zúñiga Ramos of Ensemble Montréal welcomed improvements to school zone safety but criticized the Plante administration for not implementing strategies for schools located along arterial roads.

She noted that arterial roads are often more dangerous than residential streets. In 2023, her party called for increased police presence near schools and more school crossing guards.

In May, the Quebec government passed a law to increase the number of photo radars in the province. Transports Québec stated at the time its intention to consult municipalities to "inventory their needs."

André Durocher, road safety director at CAA-Québec, said photo radars are not a panacea but merely one tool among many. 

Before determining the need for a photo radar, he said, "we need to proceed piece by piece and ask what measures are already in place at a given location."

Durocher emphasized that photo radars should be installed in high-risk areas with clear objectives and complete transparency; otherwise, they might be perceived as a ticket trap.

Durocher said he believes that Montreal, with the support of its police service, has the expertise needed to decide where to place photo radars. However, smaller municipalities may lack this expertise and would be better off leaving such decisions to Transports Québec.