Following a report that found that Quebec last year saw a spike in pedestrian fatalities, the mayor of Montreal has ruled out the possibility of drivers taking right turns on red lights.
The report, authored by Quebec’s Transport Ministry and the SAAQ, discovered that pedestrian fatalities in Quebec in 2016 saw a considerable 40% year-over-year increase over 2015.
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Mayor Denis Coderre cited the report in an executive council meeting on Tuesday when proposing his plan.
“There has been a decrease in the number of car accidents, but there are still worries concerning pedestrians,” Coderre said. “In this context … it’s clear there won’t be rights on red in Montreal.”
Although many areas in Quebec have passed similar red light rules since 2003, Montreal has yet to enforce such regulation, CBC reported.
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Late last year, mayors from demerged Montreal cities expressed an interest in permitting right turns on red lights, reasoning that it could improve traffic flow. City administrators, however, concurred with advocate groups representing cyclists and pedestrians and ruled that the idea is not safe.
On Tuesday, Coderre said that the report’s figures are proof that Montreal is not ready for such changes, and that the city needs to better protect pedestrians.
“I think that today it’s important to remember that, and when it concerns Montreal, we’re remaining firm on that question,” he said during the meeting.
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