You’ve probably noticed more and more people on bicycles over the last few years in and around the city. With more people taking up cycling as a way to stay in shape and get fit or as a means of transportation to get to work or school it’s no wonder the city of Montreal has brought changes to the bike path on some streets by adding new traffic lights around the city of Montreal including all along De Maisonneuve Boulevard which are giving people a $127 headache.

Recently the city of Montreal added new traffic lights for cyclists in an effort to make sure everyone stays safe on the road however it seems the placement of these lights seem to be confusing cyclists and causing them to receive traffic tickets in the amount of $127, including a loss of 3 demerit points.

The main problem with the placement of the lights is as follows. As you may have noticed while driving down de Maisonneuve the bike lane is on the left-hand side of the road while the bicycle traffic light is on the right-hand side of the road. Most cyclists are busy watching out for cars and trying to avoid any unnecessary collisions and wind up many times completely ignoring the traffic light across the street which was meant to help ensure their safety in the first place. To make matters worse if a police officer catches you going through a red bicycle traffic light they will issue you a ticket for $127 in addition to 3 demerit points.

These new traffic lights started popping up just recently and it seems like with no prior indication or warning from the city of Montreal causing even more frustration among cyclists who now need to deal with unnecessary fines in this matter.

Last week Ticket911.ca’s co-founder Avi Levy was on a news segment for Global News which you can see by click the image above or clicking here and mentions that usually when the city decides to make these kinds of changes they need to notify people in advance in order to allow people sufficient time to adjust. This could even be grounds for dismissing a ticket if the city did not take the necessary precautions to notify the people of Montreal.

Handwritten signs have begun to appear under these new traffic lights as frustrated cyclists are attempting to warn other cyclists to pay attention to the new lights and avoid a costly fine in the process as well. Recently, a Facebook group was also opened to help other cyclists better understand the new changes and how to try and fight any tickets they may have received in the process.

Lastly, it’s important to know that any cyclist with a valid driver’s license can lose demerit points off their driver’s license when receiving a traffic ticket relating to the new bicycle traffic lights. This can be a big problem for anyone who doesn’t have many demerit points to spare. It’s therefore important to ensure you are aware of everything around you including cars, pedestrians and now new bicycle traffic lights.

The information provided in this blog post is strictly meant for educational purposes only. This information should never be confused with getting proper legal advice. There is no substitute for legal consultation with an experienced and professional traffic ticket lawyer who understands the law and how it affects you. If you find yourself in a situation like this, please do not hesitate to call us for more information or to book your consultation with us.