A driver who tried to force his way onto a closed street, pushing a traffic flagger with his car, forced a police intervention in west Montreal this week. The association representing flaggers calls for better security in construction sites, at the dawn of a “dangerous” summer.
It was in the Sud-Ouest borough, at the corner of Atwater Avenue and Saint-Antoine Street, where work has been underway since the fall, that the event took place at the end of the day. , Wednesday, shortly before 6 p.m. In a video first broadcast on the social network TikTok, we can see a motorist in his vehicle continuing to move forward, while the flagman blocks his access.
The assault lasts several seconds. At one point, the motorist stops and seems to shout at the road flagger. It was then that another construction worker approached the driver and asked him to leave the scene. “You turn around and go away,” he says, visibly irritated.
After other verbal battles, the driver ends up backing up and leaving the scene, under the astonished gaze of the one who had filmed the scene. The Internet user, who says he noted the motorist’s plate, also indicated on TikTok that he transmitted the video to the Service de police de la Ville de Montréal (SPVM)
His spokesperson, agent Jeanne Drouin, confirms that a police intervention took place and that an investigation was opened after the video was broadcast on Thursday. The flagman was met by the police and the driver was located. Charges could be filed against him, including counts of assault with a weapon. However, a complaint must first be filed.
“The season starts badly”
At the Association of Road Signage Workers of Quebec (ATSRQ), President Jean-François Dionne deplores that “the season is off to a bad start”. “We already have 210 flaggers injured on our roads last year, and it looks even worse this year. It’s going to be a dangerous summer. We are afraid for our world, that’s for sure, ”he says.
For him, “the fines are not high enough” near a construction site. “It’s about $300 plus expenses, and four demerit points. What we are proposing is six demerit points and $900 plus costs. Let’s say it would calm a lot of people, ”continues Mr. Dionne, saying he hopes that the Montreal police will intercept the suspect in this case.
His group, however, wishes to clarify that it does not encourage such an action “as the signalman posed, remaining in front of a vehicle.
” It’s very dangerous. The flagger will not win against a car. The guy could have weighed on the gas and crushed it. What we recommend is to move away, take pictures and call 911. We are not here to play police, but to ensure safety, without putting ours in danger, ”insists the president.
The ATSRQ is also requesting an urgent meeting with the City of Montreal, in order to “better secure the construction areas” in several sectors of the metropolis deemed “nerve” as summer approaches.