Increased surveillance of construction sites using photo radar has led to a record number of fines on the roads this fall. Nearly 50,000 drivers were fined in September, for a total of almost $12 million.
What you need to know
The number of motorists caught by photo radar has reached new heights in recent weeks.
Devices located on construction sites weigh heavily.
Some are calling for a strong multiplication of their numbers, as in Europe.
“It clearly demonstrates that the radars are doing their job, but first, it means that people have to slow down, especially in work zones,” comments former police officer André Durocher, now director of community relations, in an interview. and road safety at CAA-Quebec.
“Too often, we still see such dangerous behavior,” he continues.
The peak in fines is largely due to the increase in speed cameras in construction zones. The device alone installed along Highway 520, where the speed was reduced to 50 km/h during the work, resulted in $1.7 million in fines.
Second among the most lucrative radars in Quebec: the one set up on the Highway 20 construction site in Sainte-Julie, which brought in 1.6 million.
In eastern Montreal, surveillance in the Louis-Hippolyte-La Fontaine tunnel construction site, where the speed has been reduced to 50 km/h, has also brought in big profits. The southbound plane generated $1.1 million in fines, and the northbound plane generated $800,000 in fines.
In total, these four devices installed in the metropolitan region represent half of the tickets issued in Quebec by photo radar systems in September.
Increasingly hefty fines
The average value of fines, which has increased significantly since last summer, also explains the increase in amounts collected. The average mobile speed camera ticket increased from $209 in June to $339 in September. This increase could be explained by a concentration of devices along construction sites. In these areas, the value of the findings is doubled.
The bill for tickets generated by other types of devices has also increased. The average ticket for red light cameras jumped from $201 to $316 during the same period. Fixed speed cameras also saw their value increase, from $108 in June to $140 in September.
A deterrent
For Sandrine Cabana-Degani, general director of Piétons Québec, “all this shows that too many people do not respect the speed limits.” “Photo radar, when they are really widespread, have a strong prevention impact. Unfortunately, with what is planned by Quebec at the moment, it will not be enough to give the impression that no matter where you ride, you can get caught,” she says.
In July 2023, the Ministry of Transport and Sustainable Mobility published a call for interest to equip itself with 250 photo radars for all of Quebec. At the moment, there are a little more than fifty in the province, some of which are fixed and others mobile.
The Minister of Transport, Geneviève Guilbault, has been repeating for a while that she wants to increase their number, or even diversify the type of radars. However, the City of Montreal alone wants much more, and is asking the government for 300 photo radars, given the population density, the number of cars and the number of schools found there.
Mayor Valérie Plante, who has been campaigning for a while for the multiplication of this “extremely effective” tool in terms of road safety, had not hidden her disappointment with Quebec’s commitments.
In writing, his office argues that these figures “illustrate a worrying increase in traffic offenses, particularly speeding.” “This increase in delinquent behavior has direct consequences on the number of collisions and deaths on our roads,” worries press officer Béatrice Saulnier-Yelle.
For his part, Mme Cabana-Degani recalls that the example of France is very telling. France currently has around 1 radar for 10,000 vehicles, while in Quebec, this figure is more around one for 28,000 cars, according to a recent report from its organization.
“They saw about a 40% reduction in traffic fatalities in the first six years they implemented photo radar on a massive scale. We could absolutely have the same effect here with similar actions,” she says.
Same story from André Durocher, who nevertheless reminds that a photo radar “must first have a real objective”. “It can’t just be filling the government’s coffers year after year. Above all, they must be placed in accident-prone sectors where we really want to reduce speed. This is the only way to ensure social acceptability in municipalities,” he judges.